Trapped
by The Inu-pup
Summary: I believe you said, 'My life for hers,' did you not?" Kagome lost to him in death, Inuyasha sought out Sesshomaru to save her. Now she is alive and well, and he's the one that needs saving. SessxInu, Yaoi, angst, Not for Immature Readers
1. Solution

What in all the hells is taking Kagome so long?!" Inuyasha muttered to himself. He leaned against the well, legs crossed and arms angrily locked over his chest. All she said she had to do was one test. One measly little test, and she'd been gone for almost 2 days now. What? Had the wench fallen down a hole? Stubbed her toe on a chair? Got caught in a door?

"Whoa, that's a bad path to be going down." Inuyasha sighed, banishing thoughts of a maimed, hurt, or near-death Kagome as well as he could. She was fine. She was back in her time. There were no demons there at all. She was fine. He didn't care at all. She was just a human wench! She didn't matter this much to make him feel this way. And plus, She was abso-fucking-lutely fine!

But by the gods, what if she wasn't?!

Inuyasha groaned aloud, back tight and his muscles sore from being constantly tense and on edge for the past day. He stretched backwards, trying to relieve his back at least; sure he couldn't take this much longer. He was going to run back in after her or go mad and crippled trying not to. And really, which was worse? His rampant and gory imagination, or a couple hundred sits in a row?

All Inuyasha needed was a brief mental flash of Kagome, bloody and beaten into an early grave, to send him jumping to his feet and darting into the well.

Besides, he thought to himself, as long as he stayed at her house, maybe let her mom baby him a bit, Kagome couldn't get mad at him. And even if she did, a couple sits might work out this knot at the base of his spine.

Inuyasha trudged up the stairs instead of jumping; still attempting to tell himself all was fine with Kagome. He shoved open the door to the well shrine; swearing some day he was going to tear the damn thing out if it didn't start opening faster. Yeah, he was failing the whole "being calm" deal. He couldn't help it. Something wasn't right. Something was not right at all and it was leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

He quickly darted for the house, unable to contain himself anymore. He jumped up to the second level, immediately ripping up Kagome's window and tearing inside. It was too quiet... as clichéd and horrible as that sounded, it was too fucking quiet. Her family was in here. He could smell them. He could hear their little human hearts beating. And he'd just torn into their house with as much crash and bang as a cannon. If Kagome was here, she'd have sat him through the damned floor.

He so didn't have fucking time for this! Something was wrong and he was getting a sinking feeling it was Kagome. Seriously, who else could it be? Who else in this damned family attracted danger like a corpse attracts flies? Oh dammit! Bad analogy!

He threw open her door, about to storm down there and ask just where the hell his stupid wench had gone, when he was hit with the upsetting smell of tears.

What in all the hells was going on?

His feet didn't touch a single step as he leapt down the stairway, a horrible knot of nausea sinking into his stomach. Something had gone wrong. What had gone wrong? What the hell was wrong?!

Mrs. Higurashi saw him first. He was hit immediately with the knowledge she was the one with tears down her cheeks, the happy light that was always in her eyes seemed permanently dead. "Oh, Inuya-"

"Where is Kagome?!" He blurted out so fast he wasn't sure she'd understood him. Hell, he hadn't understood himself! But... oh holy hell, where the hell was Kagome? Something was fucked up big time and where the hell was his Kagome?!

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes died further, if it was even possible. Inuyasha felt his body break out in a cold sweat. It was about Kagome. Kagome was the reason Mrs. Higurashi was crying, was dying inside. He felt his heart suddenly beat wildly, sure that even Kagome's human mother hear it. Fuck, he felt like the entire room was pulsing with it. Hell, he could feel himself pulsing, throbbing, swaying from the force of it.

And then Mrs. Higurashi's mouth opened so slowly. It was agonizing. He couldn't hear her; the gush of blood and panic was too loud. But at the same time he knew was she was saying. Her words were coming out too slow for him to understand it seemed, but words were coming out.

Kagome... and an accident? Yeah. That was just like her. She'd gone and done something, but what in the hells had happened!

Something about a car... Inuyasha hated those things! They were to loud, to fast, and reeked to high heaven. But what in the hell did a car and Kagome and an accident have to do with-

…a morgue? That was where they took dead-!

No.

No No No!

Kagome was not dead.

She was NOT fucking dead!

His heart was pounding in his ears, drowning out every sound and thought other than that he had to find Kagome. He had to get to Kagome and show her mother that she was not dead. The annoying wench could never die! She was too enraging and stupid and stubborn and whole and kind and pure and light... She was not fucking dead! He wouldn't let her die!

Morgue? Mrs. Higurashi thought Kagome was in a morgue? Well, unlucky for that belief, he fucking knew what a morgue was. And he knew where one was too! He hadn't spent two plus years suffering Kagome's blathering banter and learned nothing.

He was vaguely aware of his surroundings rapidly changing from the inside of Kagome's home, to concrete streets and rooftops. The memory of when they'd strolled, hand in hand, through Kagome's city engulfed him. It had been a moonless night, and Kagome had suggested that they go to her time and "live it up." She had spouted off all these things they could do, and in the end they'd just ended up walking and talking. Or more like her babbling and him trying to keep up with the conversation.

Some how they'd gone from talking of Kagome's annoying school, and her friends, to their friends, and how many people had died... He remembered how completely angry it had made him to think that all it took to bring up thoughts of death was to think of him and the rest of the group. She'd sensed it somehow and told him that people in her time die too, that more people died in her time than in his every single day.

He'd scoffed, thinking she was just spouting lies, but then she told him of the hospitals and how even though they had more powerful medicine than she did, people still died. She had told him of this place called a morgue, and then a funeral home, and then of course he knew what a cemetery was. The whole conversation had turned horribly morbid and they'd given up on walking through the town and gone straight back to Kagome's home.

But... they hadn't gotten back before Kagome stopped him in front of the door and kissed him square on the cheek.

The thought made his chest ache horribly and his heart raged even more heavily in his ears. He just had to get to Kagome. He was not going to let those soft lips and soft voice be cold and silent in death. She was not dead! She just couldn't be!

He got to the place that he knew was called "A Hospital" and he ran straight in, barely avoiding all the damned people clogging the narrow halls. Didn't they know to get out of a his way?! Dammit! Tables on wheels, people on tables, People dressed in cloth like paper, and all horrid people pushing the tables, leading the ones clothed in thin smocks. Wherever he went he was chased by metal whirring, wheezing, hacking, and the stench of chemicals people in this time used to clean. And of course the uproar that a red and white blur brings when it dashes through a crowd.

It felt like forever, but eventually instinct drove him down into the hospital's basement, following the smell of death, and through a heavy metal door into a cold room. Great! A Dead end, and the only person here was a shaking pathetic human in white, just like so many other's in this reeking shit hole of a place!

"Where is Kagome?!" Inuyasha shouted at this human who reeked of scents he could not name. But mostly he reeked of death, like this room, which only frightened and angered him more.

"Wh-who?"

Inuyasha had the human's throat in his hands before the man yelped or he himself realized he was going to strangle the human for not producing his Kagome immediately. "Kagome! Kagome Higurashi! Where the fuck is Kagome Higurashi!" He screamed at this old, flabby human, stinking of death and unnamed putrid reek, and started shaking him back and forth. He was going to throttle this damned human if he didn't start spilling answers! He was going to give this wretch a real reason to smell like death!

The human choked and gagged, pointing frantically to a metal wall to the side. Inuyasha dropped him to the ground to turn and regard it, pointedly ignoring the sucking gasp of air at his feet. When he leapt towards it, it seemed more like the wall of metal and tiny little doors had been the one to rush at him instead of him to it.

But… was Kagome in here?

Inuyasha ripped the first door in front of him right off its hinges, throwing it behind him. It was a tiny little space. A tiny little hole in the wall with a cold metal table inside, long and thin. They shoved Kagome in one of these? They dared to put his Kagome in a dark, cold, little hole like this?!

In seconds he was destroying that wall. Metal shrapnel flew behind him. Dead humans on trays were yanked out to their farthest position and the trays they laid on canted drunkenly downward, or to the side. The human he'd throttled had fled the room, and somewhere someone was yelling loud enough to be echoing in every room of the building. But Inuyasha didn't care anymore.

He'd found Kagome now.

His heart had surely stopped and leapt upwards into his throat. Kagome was so pale... He brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. It stuck, matted and stiff in her blood. Her skin was so pale... and so cold. She was only covered in a thin sheet. She had to be freezing.

It felt like the world was in slow motion as he took off his haori and draped it over Kagome's chest. In the same movement, he gently got his hand behind Kagome's shoulders to lift her up. She was so stiff with cold Inuyasha had trouble getting her to lay in his arms right. It was cold, right? She was stiff with cold. If he didn't warm her up, she was sure to freeze to death.

The lump in his throat where his dying heart had lodged grew bigger. His stomach suddenly heaved, but he didn't throw up. He heard someone utter a strangled moan. He didn't care anymore.

Because Kagome really was dead.

He didn't know what he was doing, or where he was going to, but now he was running up and out of that horrible place of death. To hell with the monstrous humans who were trying to stop him. How could they expect him to leave her there, in that dark, cold hole in the wall? With that filthy old human in white that reeked of chemicals and death?

But what could he do? Where could he go? Where could he take Kagome where all this horror could be taken back, and she could be alive again? How could he take this back and make it all right again?

Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru had Tenseiga. He'd brought that little human girl back to life. Inuyasha could use Tenseiga to bring Kagome back to life, just like that little girl.

The well. Now.

Inuyasha mentally commanded himself to move faster, everything moving past him in a blur. By the time he was back at Kagome's home, he was moving to fast to stop. Turns out he really did keep his promise to those doors. He just barely managed to turn to the side, hitting them with his body and not Kagome's as they crashed through, demolishing the shrine doors and a portion of the wall as well. They rolled down the steps to the recessed flooring, Inuyasha curling up around Kagome to protect her from their fall. With a final groan of splintering wood, his back broke the side of the well and they toppled in, Inuyasha falling headfirst and still attempting to protect Kagome's body from the fall.

Landing had been beyond painful, and yet, Inuyasha didn't feel the pain. His legs felt weak, but they didn't fail him. His throat was raw from trying to breathe past the lump in it, but he continued panting and gasping for air.

He shifted Kagome's stiff body in his arms, trying to make sure that the thin sheet and his own haori fully hid and protected her body. How dare he be weak, feel sore or pant for air? How dare he get to have those privileges when Kagome could not? How dare he even be able to stand and jump and run?

It didn't matter. Sesshomaru. That was next. He'd gotten to the well. Now to get to his brother.

Inuyasha started running before he'd even known where to start. Somehow, he'd known the right direction. Sesshomaru's scent hit him eventually, and it was straight in front of him. His feet were beginning to ache with running so hard and so fast. Each gasp for air literally burned. But all he could think of was how dare he feel when Kagome could not? How dare he feel anything ever again if he couldn't save her now?

.

.

.

Sesshomaru scowled to himself. The scent of that filthy half-breed was rapidly moving towards him. It was mildly surprising just how fast the whelp was coming, but only for a brief moment. The only thing that was truly surprising about his half-brother was how he was still alive and disgracing everything around him with his foul blood, foul actions, and foul mouth.

So the brat was coming for him? Let him. Sesshomaru would merely end the half-breed's existence and spare the world his tainting presence.

But what in the world was that fetid reek Inuyasha was dragging with him?

Sesshomaru ceased his travels. Rin and Jaken and his castle could wait. He was actually mildly curious to see just what his brother wanted. Of course, the vast majority of him was angered that the brat thought himself important enough to come after a demon lord. Time to get this over with and done. He had much higher matters to deal with.

He turned around, and decided he wouldn't wait for Inuyasha's movements, while faster than normal, still would take him forever and a day to reach him. It took no more than a quarter of an hour to reach his half-brother.

At the look of wide-eyed horror on the whelp's face, he wanted to laugh. Yes, Half-breed. This is the true meaning of spee-

Oh holy hell, what sort of battered, bloody, and broken mess was his brother holding?

"Save her!"

Her? Oh! So the poor puppy's bitch had been killed? Violently, from the looks of things. Sorry, half-breed. This Sesshomaru will not fix _your_ mistake.

"No." Sesshomaru replied simply and turned to walk away.

"Tetsaiga for your Tenseiga!" Sesshomaru didn't turn around. Why dignify such vile bargaining with a response.

"I'll give you my life for her's, You Son of a Bitch!" Sesshomaru heard his brother's voice crack. Pathetic. Really, truly pathetic. One, she was a bitch of a human. Two, there were hundreds more where she came from, if not thousands. Three, it wasn't as if her life would have been long anyway. And four, if Inuyasha hadn't been able to protect her, then really, did she deserve to live for being so stupidly connected with such a weak half-breed? While Sesshomaru thought this was a new low, even for his filthy abomination of a sibling, feeling Tenseiga suddenly rip free of his body changed his opinion, and changed it with fury.

He whipped around, intent on having the puppy's intestines to litter the ground with, and paused. Whatever fate caused him to do so would be the next to die, but first he wanted to see, just could the half-breed do it? Was Inuyasha so blessed that he could wield Tetsaiga AND Tenseiga?

Sesshomaru smirked, watching Inuyasha whip the blade around frantically. It seemed not.

He took Inuyasha's hand in his own on a wild backswing, and pried his blade from the brat's hands. Just what possessed him to then waste concentration on the dead miko and destroy the creatures around her dead body was a complete mystery to him. But watching his brother instantly fall to his knees and cradle the woman's body in his arms, he knew he wasn't quite done with this. Inuyasha would not be allowed to get away scot-free for pestering him, being weak, and actually thieving his sword.

The human woman groaned, her brow furrowing as her bone's reformed and the lacerations in her skin, and most likely in her internal organs as well, knit together and disappeared. "Inuyasha?"

His brother made some hideous choking sound and held her tighter, obviously completely forgetting about Sesshomaru. Well, that was enough of that.

He snapped his hand forward through his brother's tangled matt of hair and gripped his fingers around the puppy's throat to send him hurling away from his precious human. Inuyasha rolled head over heels before managing to find purchase in the ground and scraped through the dirt to a stop.

"I believe you said, 'My life for hers,' did you not?"

The human wench made some sort of gasp of disbelief, and then amazingly, since she had been dead minutes before, she started yelling at the both of them. A truly contemptible wench.

No matter. A deal was a deal. He got to take Inuyasha out of this world in return for bringing that damned human back. Granted he truly did not have the time or the energy to waste on this, so with a quick movement he grasped his brother by the throat again, this time holding him from the front to choke any and all verbal filth out of the half-breed, and started moving back towards his castle.

The first thing he did once he had returned was to hurl his brother's unconscious form into an underground room, pleased as he watched the limp body hit every step on the way down. It was infuriating the wretch passed out from a few moments of constricted airways. If the brat was going to fall unconscious, then he deserved every bruise and contusion he got.

He, however, gracefully went down them, kicking his brother's prone body away from the bottom step so he could lean down and take Tetsaiga from his brother's possession. There. Now the room would be sure to hold the wretch as long as Sesshomaru was forced to keep the whelp alive. He turned and went out of the dank, dark chamber; vaguely remembering this had been a torture chamber under a past lord. Well this Sesshomaru had no need of such rooms...

Except for keeping doomed bastards prisoner until he'd dealt with and been welcomed by Rin. He had barely returned to ground level when the painful clattering of the little human girl's wooden shoes grated against his already angered nerves.

"Lord Sesshomaru! You have returned!" She beamed up at him, though his expression was never more than indifferent. He nodded in return. The little girl quivered with excitement. It never ceased to amaze him how full of life such a frail creature was, and how far removed from the horrors of the world. With this little child before him, one could scarcely believe that such an abomination lay at the bottom of a stairway somewhere beneath their feet.

"And will you be staying?" The child inquired.

Sesshomaru nodded, fighting against a wince as Rin squealed. "With Rin?!"

He nodded again. She squealed again, high-pitched and laughing.

"You will cease at once." Sesshomaru commanded, and the little girl stopped.

"Yes, my lord." She smiled.

Oh, if only his ingrate of a sibling could have a shred of this child's manners. Nevertheless, it didn't matter now. Maybe it was the fact he always felt more merciful around the child, but Sesshomaru realized that as long as Inuyasha remained sealed away in that room, the world would no longer see the stain on his family tree. Eventually the world would forget. Eventually he could forget. It was the same sort of peace he'd felt when the half-breed had gotten himself sealed by the first miko bitch.

Yes. He would hide the wretch away until the world forgot, he forgot, and even the blasted whelp forgot. Surely the brat would cease to be belligerent, irreverent, and vile after a few decades locked away in a hole.

And, if not, Sesshomaru could always keep him there. Out of sight, out of mind. There, in that one-time dungeon, Inuyasha was unable to be obscene to him, anyone else, or to the traditions of the world. He was not a blot on the earth's history, or his own page of history, as long as he stayed down there.

And if the consequences were not as wonderful as they seemed at this moment in time, Sesshomaru could always kill him.


	2. Trapped

Oh gods. His shoulder was killing him. Inuyasha groaned softly to himself. Yeah, the fucking thing was definitely screwed up. He tested his theory and moved his arm, instantly cringing. Yeah. Dislocated, but not broken. With a grunt that sounded too much like a whimper for his liking, Inuyasha shoved his shoulder back into its socket, cringing on the floor into a ball to ride out the pain for a few moments.

That was enough of being a weak little shit. Now he was going to open his eyes and remember just what the fuck had happened to him. Inuyasha opened his eyes to pitch black. He blinked, wondering if his eyes were really open or if he'd been struck blind. He wasn't human right now, was he? No, all he had to do was flex his fingers and feel the claws at the end of them. So he wasn't human. He rubbed his eyes with his arm, wondering if maybe he couldn't see because blood was in them. He could smell at least a bit of that. Taste it in his mouth too. But when he was done, he couldn't see a damned bit better.

Fuck, he'd never been in a dark this black before when he wasn't human. He whipped his head around, not seeing a damned thing until he looked up. Behind him and kind of up high, he saw a slim crack of lighter darkness. It wasn't quite bright, but it was something. He cautiously moved towards it, finding stairs with his shin, and cursing as the stairs found a bruise.

Shit! What the hell had happened? He thought back, trying to remember.

...!!

Sesshomaru!

He'd taken Kagome to Sesshomaru and the bastard had dragged-

Oh Gods! Kagome- She! She'd been dead! She had died in her time and he'd found her and rescued her and brought her to his time and found Sesshomaru and the bastard wouldn't help and he'd taken Tenseiga...

And Kagome was alive again!

Inuyasha shuddered against the cold stone of the steps. Kagome had been dead but now she was alive... as far as he knew.

Shit! She was all alone! Sesshomaru had dragged him off and Kagome had been left all alone! Hell, she didn't even know where she was! And she was all trussed up like a fucking present in thin sheer packaging and a fucking red fire-rat bow! She was good as dead now!

Inuyasha shuddered. No more thinking about Kagome and death in the same breath. He shuddered again, failing.

He had to get out. He had to get the fuck out of here and find Kagome before she got hurt again. He had to hear her say his name again before he could believe she was going to be all right.

Inuyasha carefully made his way up the steps, not quite daring to get off his hands and knees incase he would walk right off of them in this damned dark. Soon he was at the light, now realizing it to be the underside of a door. A heavy damned door that wouldn't fucking budge! Inuyasha used it to brace himself, standing carefully, still afraid that he'd walk off an edge in the dark. He felt all along it, but nothing to open the door with. There weren't any hinges either. And the door was solid wood from the sound of it when he rapped it with his knuckles. Fine, he'd just have to crack the blasted thing in two. Feeling with his feet for a good purchase on the ground, he reared back and clawed the damn thing with all his might.

One blow. Two blows. Three. Four.

Dammit! How thick was this thing?!

Inuyasha felt with bloodied fingers along the wood to see how deep the damage was and to his horror, felt a tiny little scrape in the wood as it quickly reformed into the smooth surface from before without a single dent in it to mark his attempts. Frantic, he sliced at it repeatedly, as fast as he could, hoping to break free before the wood could regenerate, but soon his shoulder was screaming, and he almost felt like doing so as well. He wasn't making any fucking progress this way.

Oh hell no. There had to be another way out of here. There had to be. Kagome needed him, dammit!

Inuyasha groped along the wall, carefully stepping down the stairs in the pitch black. Then he felt along the wall further, looking for another door. He didn't get more than 5 paces when he slammed gut first into something hard and bar-like. Groaning, he stepped away from it, his gut churning and his pelvis feeling bruised already. What the hell was this thing? He felt along it, quickly determining it was a table until he bumped something with his elbow. With a metal rattle, it fell to the floor, the sound of metal chipping rock echoed in the space, which suddenly felt much smaller even though he didn't know the proportions of the room at all. He winced at the loud sound, bending over to find what had fallen.

It was a chain of some sort, really thick and heavy. Cursing it just because he was hurt and irritable, he threw his arm to throw the chain when it caught on something and was ripped out of his hands. The hell? He winced as the sound reverberated again and once he'd recovered, felt around to find out what the hell the chain had stuck on.

Huh... that was weird. It was attached to the table. By a weird little clip, like the length could be shortened or lengthened however one pleased. Inuyasha suddenly got a bad feeling, but continued feeling anyway. Past the clip, the chain ended in a shackle.

Inuyasha swallowed hard. Where in the fucking hells was he? He rubbed his face with a hand, the other planted firmly on the wall so he couldn't lose it and get lost in however big this room was.

Lets see. A room at the end of a long flight of stairs. A room black as night with a big, heavy fucking door he couldn't claw through. A room with tables with shackles and chains and cold stone flooring and walls.

He was in a fucking dungeon.

Well if that shitting boil-on-the-world's-ass thought he could throw Inuyasha in a motherfucking dungeon and expect him to just sit tight and wait for him to come down and shackle his ass, the damn son of a bitch had another thing coming!

Still, Inuyasha didn't give up looking for another door. He searched that room till he knew every last object in there. He searched till his legs ached and his feet were numb with cold. He continued clattering about, knocking things over, trying to tear out the walls, attempting ripping down the door again.

He couldn't fucking get out.

He beat at the door, screaming now for Sesshomaru to let him out. He shouted every threat that came to mind, using the dirtiest language he possessed.

There wasn't a damn way out.

His throat was raw and his voice nearly nonexistent from screaming. His hands were bloody sources of pain. His shoulder was a dull throb and his feet were cold ice and pricking with pain, like the tips of his fingers and his nose, and his ears. He finally leaned against the door and slid down to the floor, the stone sucking up any and all heat through his thin clothing.

He curled his legs tight against him, burying his face in them and hugging himself across the chest. It was so fucking cold in here. And he hurt. And he was tired. And he was hungry.

Alone there in the darkness, Inuyasha was tempted to cry.

.

.

.

This was not a good day to be a demon lord.

In his recent absence, other demons had encroached upon his lands, attempted to assume his power, and to top it all off, he'd almost caught Naraku nearby and destroyed him. But as usual, the damned mutant had gotten away, always a step ahead of him. Sesshomaru growled to himself. Things were definitely not going his way. It had taken the better part of 3 days to fight off territory issues and kill any and all freeloaders, and the failure to strike Naraku was making his claws itch.

Sesshomaru was quietly storming down the hallway near his chambers, when the door he'd thrown Inuyasha down caught the corner of his eye.

Oh yes. The brat was down there.

He hissed under his breath. Well... if wasn't as if he had to go and check on the little bastard. Let the brat starve to death. It was a fitting death. Slow and miserable, just like his death should be. And in this case, alone.

Maybe it would raise his spirits to see Inuyasha finally in his proper place. Maybe the brat would even beg him to be let out.

Of course, he wouldn't be doing that.

He walked over to the door and opened it, gliding down the short flight to the final chamber before he'd be faced with Inuyasha. He frowned, going back up for a light to take into the room with him. Not that he couldn't see, but if Inuyasha was going to beg, he wanted to see those damned golden eyes broken and compliant. He closed the door behind him; using the light he had with him to light the other lamps in the small room. He set it on the ground before the door and then he turned to the final door that lay between him and his half-breed brother.

He opened it and was immediately forced to block a wild blow from Inuyasha. Another came, Inuyasha's movements faster than Sesshomaru had ever remembered them, and he threw the whelp's blow back at him, sending him crashing into the bottom few steps. A sickening crack followed and his brother rolled to the floor. In an instant the brat was up again, snarling and baring his fangs at him.

So 3 nights alone in a room brought out the true feral nature of the puppy? Sesshomaru glared at the mindless creature. The room reeked of Inuyasha, urine, hunger, and fear. His brother was absolutely filthy with smeared dust and blood and god knows what else. And the damn brat's eyes glowed red with his transformation. Well, transformed or no, Sesshomaru now knew how he was going to relieve that itch in his claws.

Inuyasha flew at him as he started down the stairs. Sesshomaru caught him in the jaw with a fearful blow, knocking the whelp straight into the wall for a bone shattering collision. Another satisfying crack resounded and Inuyasha fell to the steps, and then down the rest of the way. By the time Sesshomaru reached the base of the stairs, the beast was up again and easily taken back down, sent with a kick into the rack against the wall. The scent of fresh blood joined the reek of the old.

It all happened so damned fast. He'd practically wiped the room down with his brother's hide, and it was all over so damned quickly. But he wasn't sated. No, not nearly at all. Seeing his brother limp and on the floor, lying in the filth just like he should, just wasn't enough. He wanted to see the damn bruises. He wanted to look at his handiwork and admire the broken bones and the suffering that the half-breed deserved for daring to think he had the right to attack Sesshomaru, let alone breathe in his presence.

He came forward, shoving Inuyasha onto his stomach with a vicious kick, and bent down and tore off the brat's white under-kimono. Sesshomaru growled. It still wasn't fucking enough. The brat's skin was marked with raging red impressions, some even bleeding in places.

And oh could Sesshomaru feel the rage coming. First swept up in that wave that felt like guilt, but this Sesshomaru would never feel anything resembling guilt when it came to that worthless piece of nothing. And then he let the fury sweep over him and all was a blur for what only seemed like a moment. Now Inuyasha was bleeding much more than before. His blood stank up the room. Sesshomaru advanced on his brother's broken body, for a moment determined to end it all then and there.

But should he really? Should he really end it? Wouldn't it be crueler to let his brother live, and suffer and heal? Then he could unleash his rage again, behind these closed doors. Not a soul would know he'd come unglued and let go of his calm stoic mask. And he didn't have to crush it inside of him, letting it build up until the next battle where he would come perilously close to losing it.

He could consciously lose it here, any time he wished. And if Inuyasha did end up dying, he could bring the wretch back with Tenseiga for another round.

He looked down at his brother's form. The little brat was trying to get up again. His hair was matted and wild in every direction, hiding his face except for the pained expression in his jaw and mouth. His ears were flattened against his skull in a sheer expression of pain and his claws raked the stone as his muscles trembled. His brother got his knees underneath him as Sesshomaru watched, unable to get his upper body to rise along with his rear.

Sesshomaru bristled again, wanting to kick Inuyasha's ass back down to the ground, when the whelp's legs gave out and he toppled over onto his side with a low moan. It was the blood. He was drunk on the smell of blood.

Sesshomaru snarled and gave Inuyasha's body a final kick before returning up the stairs. Closing the heavy door on Inuyasha and his filthy chamber, he realized he still had part of the brat's clothing in his hand and he threw it into the corner of the room, against the short flight of stairs back up into reality. Or at least that's how it felt. He extinguished the rest of the lamps; taking the light he'd brought in with him, and exited the door. He felt like he was returning to reality and sanity. And now all he wanted was a long hot bath.

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Underneath Sesshomaru's feet, a dazed and hurting Inuyasha sobbed to himself. Was he even a fucking person anymore? Had he died in some battle and this was his dark hell? He couldn't even remember what events had brought him here, other than it had to do with Kagome. He always remembered he had to get back to Kagome.

But he was so hungry. His stomach was a clawing ache. He just wanted to claw back, but his arm burst into white-hot pain when he tried to move. This time it was broken. He choked on a sob, wincing at the pain in his arm and his body and his chest when he breathed. Lying on his side was making breathing complete agony.

Some how, in unbelievable pain, he managed to roll onto his back. For once the cool of the stone felt soothing. He fucking wanted to become numb now. The pain in his chest eased slightly. Ribs. He'd gone and fucked up his ribs. He had no idea in hell how. The last thing he remembered was being so hungry, and thinking how he was going to die in this pit without ever seeing Kagome again. He was going to die hungry, cold, and alone and die in complete filth and darkness.

He'd felt the blood in his veins get hot, and then he couldn't remember anything. He must have transformed, and something had beaten his brains in. Hell, it could have been himself trying to bash down the fucking door! And if he couldn't knock it down in full-demon form, then there was no way he'd ever get out. He was trapped, and bleeding, and broken. Despite the pain in his ribs he sobbed again.

He was going to die down here! He would never see the light of day again. He would never see Kagome again. He'd never hear her laugh, or Shippou's damn taunting, or the jingle of Miroku's staff when he walked, or Sango's screams of rage as she slapped the living daylights out of the pervert. He would never feel a breeze or Kagome's soft hair, or Killala under his hand begging to be pet. He would never taste Kagome's food, or the dirt when she sent him to the ground with one of her sits. He would never smell Kagome's soft scent, or whatever reek she decided to put on that she thought actually smelled good, or the soaps from her time that accented to her natural perfume.

He couldn't control it now. His chest was screaming pain as he screamed in return, curling his knees up around the forgotten ache of his hunger.

He was never going to see Kagome again, whether she was still alive or not.

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AN: Okay, so I've gone back and edited ch 1 and 2, and now I'm going to start writing for ch 3. I'm bored as hell and home sick from school, so I'll have plenty of time. And if it's not too painful, I'll get out a chapter for TruePurpose, since the folks over there have been waiting so patiently.

And just to restate the purpose of THIS fic. This fic was created because in my other fic, we're gearing up for the long awaited, inu/Sesshy yaoi incest smut. But, when I was planning it out, it always came off as way too violent for poor inu to possibly handle. So, I started this. The purpose of this fic is to

one) horrendously abuse Inuyasha.

two) work out all the dark, kinky, and just beyond wrongness of my soul

three) incorporate things in my psychology class that I've been learning about. don't worry, won't get super technical and heady, but it's the first story where from the start, I've been able to use some of that knowledge.

four) and the last purpose of this fic is to send me straight to hell. Seriously. I deserve to go there for thinking this up. It's sick. It's wrong. I do not support this in real life situations at all. I don't even support this as something people need to be putting into their minds. But it's damned good reading isn't it?

V.V yeah yeah. I'll choke on brimstone in the afterlife. See ya in a couple hours with chapter #3


	3. Lesson in Submitting

(AN: Oh my god. I so apologize. I promised you a couple hours wait. And it's been a couple of months. First things first, the power chord for my laptop freakin' SHORT CIRCUITED on me! My battery power only lasted for an hour and then it was bye-bye chapter. I got my grandpa to fix it. (YOU WILL BOW TO HIS TECHNOLOGICAL MIGHT!) Seriously. His electricity-bypassing powers rival that of Hiten and Manten (Thundah bro's)

And if that was a spoiler, you need to read the manga/watch the series. That is sooooo early on.

At any rate, here is chapter 3 of the fastest start-to-Yaoi fic I have ever written! Give me R&R's instead of presents please! )

**(AN: for those who don't know, "ningen" equals "human")**

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That stupid wretch, coming at him like that.

Sesshomaru scoffed to himself, sinking low in the steaming waters of his personal bath. He just couldn't seem to get Inuyasha off of his mind. Really! Why should Sesshomaru not feel anything but displeasure towards that filth, and pleasure towards returning the wretch to filth?

Somehow, that just didn't sound... pleasurable anymore.

So, what was he going to do? Beat the brat into a pulp till the end of the eons? Was he, Sesshomaru, really going to sully his hands in such a way?

He glared icily at the far wall.

Fine. Was he going to sully his _HAND_ in such a way? For the love of all that is pure, why couldn't his mind just be kind and controllable for once and _FORGET_ that luckless blunder?

"That stupid wretch." Sesshomaru grumbled. How many times had that phrase passed his lips now? How many times had it run through his mind?

Okay. Fine. If his mind didn't want to cooperate and not think of Inuyasha, he would simply distract it. Now, to only think of what...

Ah, yes. Rin. He was going to have to do something about her. The little ningen was much too squirrelly these days. Jaken's scant knowledge of tricks was fast being outwitted. Why, just the other day, when Sesshomaru had failed to catch and maim Naraku, the girl-child had slipped loose of his retainer's watch and spent the day raiding his castle's pantry. Furthermore, there had been crumbs _all over_ his study.

Sesshomaru smiled fleetingly, for he was alone and was allowed to do such things.

"Rin. If only Inuyasha had half your brain, then he'd-"

Sesshomaru's smile fell and he returned to glaring at the far wall once more.

Foiled. Touché, Inuyasha obsession, Touché.

Sesshomaru rubbed his forehead with a water-warmed hand. The water drips were annoying, but their warmth was soothing. He sunk lower in the water, sighing as he momentarily gave up his mental battle.

But why could he not stop thinking of Inuyasha? What had changed? For something had changed, had it not? Inuyasha and the sound of cracking bones were not quite as pleasurable in the same thought.

Sesshomaru replayed the previous hours exchange in his mind.

Had it been seeing the brat transformed instead of weak and begging? No. That was merely infuriating. Sesshomaru would have halted that annoyance by simply killing, reviving, and possibly killing the half-breed again.

Had it been the returned attack? No. That would have been dealt with in the same manner.

Was it possibly his lack of control? Was that what was bothering him? But, it couldn't be. In that dark space, losing control was out of the knowledge of the rest of the world. No one could know, therefore it didn't matter. In solitude, what he did was his own business and it had felt great to unleash his fury on the whelp.

Sesshomaru smiled again. Yes. It had felt great, at least at first. Hearing his brother's arm snap as he tumbled end over end down the stairs. And again, hearing his brother's skull collide with the wall, and tumble down to a heap on the bottom step. Sesshomaru smiled wider, now smirking for the eyeless walls to see. He had felt the best when he had kicked his brother in the ribs and sent the whelp hurling into the ancient rack. The chains on the device had rattled as loudly as Inuyasha's teeth.

And that was the point when it had not been enough. That was when Sesshomaru had needed to see Inuyasha's injuries. And then, he'd flown into a rage so diabolical as to overwhelm and confuse his own emotions. And as soon as he'd recovered from his momentary lack of control, he had felt further displeasure just before his departure, when Inuyasha had attempted to regain his feet and stand.

Yes. That was the reason. When Inuyasha had gotten his knees underneath him, but lacked the strength to push the rest of himself up. That was the moment that had really turned Sesshomaru's enjoyment sour.

Sesshomaru had ceased to smile, once again glowering at the far wall. These wildly leaping emotions were beyond tiresome. Currently, they were reaching more of a pain-in-the-ass level. It was clearly now time for Sesshomaru to deal with Inuyasha in such a way as to relieve him from thoughts of the wretch.

But as Sesshomaru thought about it, certainly there had to be a better way than merely killing him. Something more productive, perhaps? Yes, there was. The set-up Sesshomaru had thought would punish Inuyasha for his multiple crimes and alleviate some of his own barely controlled bloodlust, that was clearly not working out, so death would have to be the half-breed's fate. But something about killing Inuyasha seemed so... not wanted. Sesshomaru couldn't place it, or name it, nor did he attempt to. Killing Inuyasha was just not something he wished to do at this moment. It was too beneath him to do such an act and it was too final. Plus it would end Inuyasha's suffering along with his life, and that was a thought that very much angered him. Why the ceasing of Inuyasha's suffering infuriated him so, Sesshomaru wasn't sure of. It certainly wasn't the thought of Inuyasha's end that angered him.

So what would he do with the brat? What could he possibly gain out of Inuyasha that he didn't get by snapping his bones and slicing his flesh?

And then came a shining Epiphany. That was just it, the reason why he was not satisfied with Inuyasha's current arrangements. He _DIDN'T_ get anything out of it.

First of all, rage had no finite amount. Unleashing it on Inuyasha did not lessen the amount that Sesshomaru felt; it was only a moment when he purposely succumbed to it. Seeing as this Sesshomaru did not succumb to anything, he could not continue directing this rage at Inuyasha without more reason than to give in to it.

And furthermore, if Sesshomaru were acting to punish Inuyasha in this way for his multiple crimes against nature and the way of the world, the current situation would not change Inuyasha. Beating the wretch in this manner, without word or verbal explanation, only served to force the wretch further from sense.

Criminals in prisons knew what they had done, and for what they were being held for. Their families and villages also knew what they had done. In this way, the punishment held the power of punishing those condemned and serving as a warning to others who would otherwise commit the same offence. If he wanted Inuyasha to change, to cease being such a blot on the world, Sesshomaru would have to put some order and law in that darkened cell.

So that was what had been bothering him so terribly. While he was able to enjoy the respite that came with setting himself loose on the brat, the brat would never learn his place and act the submissive, lowly half-breed that he was.

Sesshomaru smirked again, this time the expression not fading until he finished his bath and returned to the world outside his innermost chambers.

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Inuyasha lay on his back, just as he had been for ages. Seconds, minutes, what were they to him in his hole? He'd lain there since the beginning of time, he was sure.

And then something broke the silent darkness of his surroundings. Something above him made a series of sounds, first an opening, a closing, and then a clicking. The darkness brightened on the other side of his closed eyelids and sounds continued to leak down from above. Scents drifted to him, sure to be identified if he only gave them notice, but Inuyasha did not react. He didn't care. He didn't care much for anything anymore.

And then his world exploded in light, and Inuyasha found he could indeed still move. He cringed against the brightness, covering his eyes and face with his arms and curling around himself in pain.

His throat was crushed by a strong hand and in the same instant the ground left him and he was gripping the hand's wrist, fighting for air though he had moments before longed for death on the floor.

"You will open your eyes and look at me." A voice he recognized demanded of him.

He cringed against whoever it was; growling with the last of his might in response. He was a creature of pain and dark and now he was a creature of even greater pain and suffocation and blinding light.

And then whoever had him by the throat shook him, disrupting all his broken bones and sending his body to even greater heights of pain. Inuyasha was barely holding to consciousness now, and his tormentor should have known it seeing as how he was also moaning in agony. Couldn't he just go back to the floor?

"Defy me, Inuyasha, and you will be met with pain."

Pain? Pain was nothing. This was not mere pain. Inuyasha didn't know a word strong enough for what he suffered now. But the light wasn't as bright as it had been before, and if it meant this bastard wouldn't shake him again, fine, he'd open his damned eyes.

Sesshomaru?

Inuyasha blinked, eyes slit against the light. That sonofabitch sure cleared the haze in his head. What in all the fuck did Sesshomaru want? To turn him into a half-breed corpse? Too late, Asshole. Something already halfway beat you to it! Inuyasha silenced himself, bristling at the thought of giving Sesshomaru the satisfaction of knowing how much pain he was in.

"You are going to submit to me." Sesshomaru's face contorted in a growl.

"In what fantasy?" Inuyasha managed to growl back. Sesshomaru's response was brutal and instantaneous. Inuyasha groaned against the floor he'd been hurled against, happy at least that Sesshomaru wasn't choking him anymore. Once he was able to see straight, Inuyasha attempted pushing himself up off the floor to face his brother, but Sesshomaru held him down with a foot on his back.

"You are a vile piece of scum. You are the lowest of the low. There is no possible way for you to climb out of this hole of your existence, even if I myself were to help you do it." Sesshomaru kicked him across the room like a rag doll. Inuyasha moaned again, unable to stop himself or find the strength to move before Sesshomaru was upon him again.

Inuyasha cried out as his brother threw him onto his stomach with enough force to knock the air out of him and Inuyasha blacked out. He had no idea how long he had been out, but when he came to again, Sesshomaru was standing over him with tenseiga out. Inuyasha stared at him in disbelief. He could breathe without pain; he could move his limbs... had that bastard just healed him with tenseiga?

"You are going to regret that!" Inuyasha shouted, moving as fast as he could to shove Sesshomaru back and reach for his Tetsaiga. Sesshomaru must have been waiting for him to do that, since the fucker caught him by the throat effortlessly and slammed him backwards against the stone. Stars swam in his vision, but he was going to rip Sesshomaru to shreds! He moved for Tetsaiga at his hip, thinking to send Sesshomaru to oblivion with a few hundred Windscars, and discovered his sword missing. He was going to growl a curse at Sesshomaru, goading him into letting go of his throat and tell him where the fuck Tetsaiga was, but his brother was really choking him. Not like before, when he'd just hold him up by the throat and not choke him beyond speaking. No. This time Inuyasha found he really and truly couldn't breathe. He struggled, sure that if he caused Sesshomaru enough pain he would get the fuck off of him, but Sesshomaru started smirking just as darkness swam at the edges of his vision.

"_Shit! Shit shit shit shit!" _Inuyasha cursed in his mind as his limbs began to feel heavy and his eyesight started to go dark. Dammit! He was not going to die like this! He felt his blood get hot and before he could consciously realize he was transforming, he saw red. Unfortunately for him, darkness won out.

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Inuyasha woke up, face down against something wooden. His arms were stretched out in front of him, and his legs were underneath him, like he'd toppled over while kneeling. Except that's not what had happened and he instantly snapped his eyes open and pulled his arms back to himself, but they held there.

Shackles? Oh no. Oh fuck no!

Inuyasha reared back, attempting frantically to pull his arms free, but the chains held firm. And then the sound of laughing came from behind him and he froze, kneeling upright on the rack.

"What the fuck are you planning, you sick fuck?!" Inuyasha yelled at him, twisting as best as he could to face his brother. The best he managed was to twist the chains to allow him to fully face Sesshomaru, but it forced his hands behind his head. Fine, he'd elbow Sesshomaru in the face if he had to! Sesshomaru advanced, smiling in a way that Inuyasha didn't like, and Inuyasha shifted backwards on the table, hoping to give him enough slack to lunge forward and stab the bastard with his elbows jutting forward at both sides of his head.

"While you were unconscious, Inuyasha, I decided your punishment for resisting."

"Fuck you!"

Sesshomaru burst out laughing and Inuyasha instantly froze. The sound sent chills down his spine and all the way back up.

"I told you, you were to submit to me. Your punishment is actually very kind. If you submit to me now, you will enjoy it very much. If you do not, you will hate that you do enjoy it." Sesshomaru lunged forward and grabbed Inuyasha's knee, pulling it back towards him. Inuyasha made a desperate attempt to kick the creepy smile off of Sesshomaru's damned face, but failed as his elder brother deftly flipped him around to land painfully on his stomach. Sesshomaru then grabbed the back of Inuyasha's hakama and roughly yanked him towards himself. Inuyasha's arms snapped straight. His elbows and wrists cracked loudly with the unexpected action.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Inuyasha kicked backwards, hoping to get the bastard in the crotch. Some fucking sterility would teach that crazy ass bastard to do weird ass shit to him!

Sesshomaru somehow angled himself to get between Inuyasha's legs unscathed. "I have already told you what I am doing." Sesshomaru answered him and tore through the ties at Inuyasha's waist. Inuyasha struggled harder against his brother, who was now forcibly removing the last of his clothing.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Inuyasha screamed in rage to mask his growing panic. He still had no idea what the hell Sesshomaru was going to do, but he was getting the feeling that it was as escapable as this room.

"Last chance Inuyasha. Submit to me in mind now, or later. Either way you will submit to me in body, and personally, I hope you detest it as much as I detest you." Sesshomaru hissed to him, and to Inuyasha's alarm, began removing his own hakama.

"NO NO NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Inuyasha kicked and writhed and screamed. With Sesshomaru between his legs, there was nothing Inuyasha could do to fend the fucker off. That fucker was about to make a bitch out of him and there was not a damned thing Inuyasha could do! He was absolutely terrified. Sesshomaru couldn't do this to him. He wasn't a fucking girl! It wasn't like he knew exactly what went on between a man and a man, but he knew it was not something he wanted to do, and not like this, and not with Sesshomaru!

Inuyasha screamed in protest again as Sesshomaru's hand firmly held his waist down to the wood. Inuyasha panicked. His brother, his fucking goddamn brother was holding his ass down on a fucking rack! He was shackled and he couldn't lift his brother's weight off his hips! This was not happening. This could not be happening. Sesshomaru didn't even fucking like him! How could he be even-? "_Oh gods! Something, Anything, Save me from this!"_

Inuyasha's eyes went wide as he felt the head of Sesshomaru's fucking raping dick line up against his ass and a fresh wave of panic hit him. "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO FUCK ME IN THE ASS! STOP IT! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"

"Someone sounds petrified. Are you really so afraid to be dominated?" Inuyasha could hear the smirk on his brother's face.

Inuyasha started to scream his demand for Sesshomaru to back the hell off, but he never got it out, instead screaming because he was being ripped apart from the inside out. Sesshomaru had plunged himself inside him. Inuyasha gasped to inhale again after such a scream, feeling the absolute hugeness that had invaded his body slowly move out the way it had come in. Inuyasha opened his mouth to shout something vile and curse filled at his unbelievably incestuous, gay-ass faggot of a perverted brother, when Sesshomaru thrust into him again. Inuyasha screamed, his brother driving into him again and again.

Submit and enjoy this? Sesshomaru was out of this fuckdamn mind! No one could ever enjoy being torn to shreds from the inside like this, not ever. And Inuyasha would never fucking enjoy it either. He struggled to do anything to make his brother stop, but there was nothing. His wrists were bleeding from where he'd pulled at the shackles. Something, probably blood, was beginning to drip down his thighs. Tears were already flowing down his cheeks as scream after scream tore through his throat. Even if Sesshomaru had healed him with tenseiga, Inuyasha was back to his previous level of pain.

His brother pushed into him one last time, after what had felt like hours, and Inuyasha shuddered as he felt the bastards fucking seed gush into him. Then Sesshomaru pulled out of him and fucking stayed out, thank the gods. Inuyasha lay there, just trying to breathe and regain some semblance of dignity or pride. It was gone. Why was he even trying? He just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Oh, funny thought. He was already in a hole. Inuyasha's bitter laugh was more a choked sob.

Sesshomaru redressed himself and left unnoticed, even though he'd taken the time to promise Inuyasha more chances to submit in the future with a dark smile. At length, Inuyasha crawled forward so his legs could lie on the surface of the rack as well and so the chains would not pull so painfully on his wrists. Every movement caused his body unbelievable pain. It hurt more just because of _where_ it all originated. He sobbed to himself; broken, bleeding, and wishing that Sesshomaru had just killed him instead. It certainly would have been kinder.

**PAGE BREAK PAGE BREAK PAGE BREAK PAGE BREAK PAGE BREAK**

Okay, I swear, I love you all. Don't hate me for being so late. Honestly, the stars aligned themselves against me. The computer, this chapter, my life... it's all been non-cooperative. I totally understand if you all have given up on this story... but I'd still love you if you R&R'd anyway! ^^


	4. Intermission

All was not well in the land of Sesshomaru.

Jaken continued to be incompetent, not surprising, but especially infuriating when it came to handling Rin. Rin continued to be a boisterous little child and getting into all kinds of things that she shouldn't. And Inuyasha and his gloriously tight ass never ceased to be at the forefront of his mind!

Sesshomaru sat in his study, wishing he had another hand with which to hold his head and cursed it's loss for but a second. He sighed aloud as he was instantly barraged with vivid mental images of what he had done with his brother. Every last thought that even hinted at that filthy wretch sent him back into Fantasy's clutches. Not a damned body ever birthed had stolen his imagination so thoroughly.

And who needed imagination? He had memory to serve him as well.

Had it really only been one day since he took his brother for the first time? How long had it been since the third time? Should he go back for a fourth? What was it about that puppy that excited him so?

Was it the screaming? Oh by the gods could Inuyasha scream. It made Sesshomaru shiver in delight to turn that foul-worded voice to screams of deserved wretchedness. Inuyasha hated being forced into subservience more than Sesshomaru could have ever imagined, if he could scream like that. Sesshomaru was beginning to become impressed with the room's design, that no one else had heard it. He thought again of going back for a fourth "lesson," but decided against it. His hearing could only take so much abuse.

Maybe when he went down there again he would teach Inuyasha to damnwell shut his trap. Hmm... only maybe. Sesshomaru really enjoyed his brother's screaming too much to let a little deafness bother him terribly.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and allowed himself a happy smile, as he thought of just exactly he would do next time. So far he had only gone in and simply dominated, nothing fancy or particularly exciting at all, but Sesshomaru could hardly think of what else he could do. The reaction he got from the wretch was perfect enough as it was. Plus, the boy seemed entirely exhausted. After he had taken Inuyasha the first time, he'd gone down to find him still sprawled on the rack's surface. He was probably still in the same position that Sesshomaru had left him in, with his hair tangled about in the same manner and his legs splayed limply like those of a rag doll.

Now that he thought about it, it was another crime on Inuyasha's list that he ever put on hakamas. His legs went on forever. Plus, Sesshomaru might have thought of this idea sooner if he'd gotten to see those pale thighs every once in a while. Inuyasha honestly did wear too much clothing, and clothing that was just too large for him. It made him seem stocky, when really he wasn't. Not that he wasn't muscled either. Part of the glory of making his brother writhe was getting to watch every muscle roll and twist under the other's skin. It was much like watching a horse gallop.

Sesshomaru was momentarily distracted by the image of Inuyasha, straining against his chains to pull himself away from him. Inuyasha's back had been so tight, every muscle showed. And every time he struggled, it made his entrance so much tighter than before. Inuyasha also screamed louder. Probably impotent rage. It would be a damned shame if he ever really did accept his place as a submissive, lowly, half-breed wretch and stop screaming. It made Sesshomaru's groin perk up just at the remembrance of it.

Yes. Hopefully Inuyasha never stopped being anything other than the wretch he was. It was much too satisfying to punish him for it.

Tomorrow, first thing. Sesshomaru would take another dip into the world of the depraved before he faced the day. And after that mind-clearing excursion, he would deal with Rin and Jaken and the child's ability to get out of the imp's care.

But first Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru ignored the heat burning in his stomach, and lower, and stood to return to his bedchamber and sleep for the night.

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Inuyasha lay on the rack, too tired, in too much pain, too hopeless to cry anymore. Or had he been sleeping? Inuyasha couldn't tell. He sniffed, wiping the dampness off his cheeks and onto his arms. All he could smell was his own blood and the musk of sexually aroused and pleasured male demon. Before today, or tonight, or this horrible nightmare, Inuyasha had no idea what that smelled like. He wished he still didn't.

What was he going to do? Sesshomaru had come in so many times...

It was useless. He was the lowest of the low. He was the scum of the earth. The hole of his life was so deep, not even Sesshomaru could help him out. That's what Sesshomaru had said, more or less. Inuyasha couldn't remember his exact words.

He was never going to get out. Inuyasha understood that now. Sesshomaru would never, ever let him leave. It was time to give up on that. But then what? Inuyasha couldn't give in. He couldn't let Sesshomaru continue to do this to him. At least not forever.

Maybe he would eventually have to accept that Sesshomaru _WOULD_ continue to do this to him forever. Inuyasha sighed, the deep breath before causing him pain that he was rapidly becoming used to. It really didn't hurt that much, if you compared it to broken bones or being run through the gut with a sword.

But when it was happening, it _was_ just like being run through the gut with a sword. Except the sword was his brother's dick and he was being stabbed up through his ass and not through his stomach or back. Same pain, different places.

Inuyasha opened his eyes and stared forward into the darkness. He had to give up on Kagome. She was better off without him anyway. He was scum. He was scum, trapped in a hole, shackled to a table. She deserved better. In a way, Sesshomaru was doing her a favor. Or at least that's how Inuyasha saw it now. He didn't cry. He was done with that. He just accepted. This place was his life now. Sesshomaru was his life now. It was better to accept and sleep until his brother came back again than to keep fighting.

Actually, it would be better to die. But Sesshomaru would just bring him back again. And probably hurt him worse for trying to escape in death. It wasn't worth it. Easy as all hell to do, even shackled to a rack it would be easy to kill himself... but not worth it. Better to just sleep. It would feel exactly the same.

Inuyasha sighed and easily let himself drift into unconsciousness. He slept like he had killed himself. It was deep and dreamless, and when Sesshomaru did finally come back into his hole, Inuyasha decided that it did feel exactly the same.

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(AN: Cliffie. Badly done cliffie. You get the rest later.

Anywhoo... I have never had people so intense over a story. One reviewer said that I better be able to update sooner before you all kill me. Hee. I guess I won't be the only one choking on brimstone in the afterlife, you eager minions of hell!

And just so you all know, I won't be able to promise updates till after March 7. I am booked with spring performances and events and money earning and college dealing. Hang on until then my dears!

And now some notes for you, my precious Yaoi fans, before you fear too much for the future plot.

No, this is not the story you want to be reading if you want fluff. I have a different story going on if that's what you like.

Yes, Sesshomaru is a bastard. (in this fic)

Oh like Hell Inuyasha is going to give in completely, ye of little faith!

Don't count Kagome out just yet, my dear readers. She is also resourceful when it comes to our favorite Hanyou.

And finally, Yes, My handbasket is decorated. You better get started on yours. Before you start, R&R! )


	5. Miss Rin

"This time, the imp will not survive." Sesshomaru growled to himself as he fingered one of the many hundreds of spring blooms the ningen girl had set about the place. Not only were they a complete waste of space and water-bearing containers, they were yet another proof that the girl was too much for that fool of a retainer to handle. If he were out wandering the lands, a few flowers would not have bothered Sesshomaru so much, but this was in his home. No, all OVER his home!

With a final glare at the offending collection of petals, Sesshomaru crushed the flower currently in his claws and continued down the hallway. He paused at the door leading down into Inuyasha's hole, as it had come to be known to Sesshomaru's mind, and glared again. More flowers, this time made into a garland, were hung across the door. The human girl must have been up all night to have so decorated the place while he slept. One more nail in Jaken's coffin, to be sure.

Sesshomaru slid open the door, letting the frail chain break and fall to the ground before he closed the door again. He took the time to let thoughts of Rin and Jaken leave his mind before he lit the lantern he'd left there. As he bent down to pick it up he realized that his back was actually slightly sore. Frowning in disgust at himself, Sesshomaru ignored the twinge in his muscles and made for the final door down. He would only take Inuyasha this once today, since his back seemed to protest so. Three visits of multiple hours each was too much anyway. Sesshomaru had work to do, and a retainer to murder.

'_But first...'_ Sesshomaru thought to himself as he opened the door and started down the steps. He didn't finish the thought, instead smirking to himself as Inuyasha slowly showed signs of life and waking, and seemed even more sore and exhausted that Sesshomaru did. But then again, that was natural, was it not?

Sesshomaru set the light down on one of the many broken surfaces in the room and moved forward to his brother. Inuyasha pulled himself up onto the rack's surface, but surprised Sesshomaru by not cowering and crawling as far away from him as his chains would allow.

"Sleep well?" Sesshomaru mocked, looking over multiple bruises that had turned dark and purple over night. The biggest were at Inuyasha's hips. No doubt from being pounded against the wooden surface. Inuyasha made no reply. Sesshomaru moved forward again, fully intending to yank Inuyasha back down and around into a more 'suitable' position like before, when the half-breed found his voice again.

"Sesshomaru, I'll do anything, just-" Inuyasha's voice was hoarse and ragged, just like it should have been after the previous day's screaming.

As much as it delighted Sesshomaru to hear it, he interrupted, "Just stop and leave you alone? Or were you thinking of more colorful language?"

"Just take them off." Chain's clinked as Inuyasha gestured to the shackles about his wrists. Sesshomaru paused, thinking. He looked down into Inuyasha's eyes and immediately Inuyasha glanced down, either unable or unwilling to hold his gaze. Sesshomaru looked to Inuyasha's wrists, battered and cut and encrusted with dried blood.

Sesshomaru leaned back away from the rack and walked over to the other side of the room to retrieve the key to Inuyasha's restraints. He saw no reason not to. If Inuyasha was going to act civil and submissive, Sesshomaru should reward it. It really had been the whole point of keeping him alive and down here. Besides it would be easy enough to lock the brat back up should he drop the act.

As Sesshomaru undid Inuyasha's shackles and thoughts of everything he could now do to the brat ran through his mind, a flower petal caught in his clothing released itself and fell to the rack's surface.

'_Damn that Jaken.'_ Sesshomaru growled at the reminder of his incompetent retainer. It was completely unbelievable that the imp could not control a simple little girl. Even Inuyasha could handle-

Inuyasha _could_ handle humans, couldn't he? The brat had only traveled with a group of them for months, if not years!

Yes, Inuyasha could handle a single human girl. Whether he could do it civilly or not was another matter. Sesshomaru sized up Inuyasha again. The half-breed was slouched, rubbing at his wrists as if they were the most tender things in the world, and continued to avoid his gaze. Sesshomaru smirked to himself. This was perfect. Yet another way this arrangement could prove to serve his wishes. Inuyasha would look after Rin, and should anything run amiss, Inuyasha would be sent back here and 'dominated' until he could be released again. And should Inuyasha prove capable of redeeming himself, he could be brought back here and be dominated anyway. If he could submit and do as Sesshomaru commanded, then Inuyasha should enjoy it anyway. The act of taking him would be punishment and reward.

Sesshomaru smirked, brought out of his epiphany by Inuyasha's nervous trembling and continued silence for the entire duration. "Inuyasha, you want a different way of showing your subservience to me?"

The half-breed stilled, and looked as close to Sesshomaru's gaze as he seemed to be able to stand. "What kind of way?"

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"Master Jaken! Rin is done hiding now." Rin called out. She didn't think she had hidden so well. For a while she hadn't even been hiding. Playing with Master Jaken had gotten so boring she had gone inside and wandered around for a while.

"Master Jaken? Where could you be? Did you decide it was your turn to hide?" Rin frowned. She poked her head out of a door to see if Lord Sesshomaru's retainer was outside but a shadow fell over her from behind.

"Master Inuyasha! You are here? Is Miss Kagome here too? I didn't know you were coming!"

"It's just Inuyasha, right now." He grasped her hand and started leading her down the hallway. Rin had to walk fast to keep up with his long legs.

"Just Inuyasha? Are you sick? You sound sick. And tired. Have you traveled far?"

Inuyasha didn't answer her. He looked very tired. He was walking strangely too. She looked up at him, concerned for how Miss Kagome must be worried about him. It was too difficult to keep up with him and walk that fast at the same time, so she held onto his hand with both of hers and stopped right in the hallway.

"Master Inuyasha, you are walking too fast! You will make yourself even more tired, and Rin too!"

"I'm not your master, Rin."

"Then walk like Rin does." She pulled on his arm and started walking at her pace. "See? It's easier." She smiled when he didn't speed up again.

"Where is Miss Kagome?" Rin asked. Master Inuyasha was too quiet. He must have been very tired. And when he did talk he spoke softly, like his throat hurt. Rin thought that usually he was either quiet, or yelling. Poor Master Inuyasha. He was so mad all the time and always in a hurry, from what Rin knew at least. He must have made himself very sick.

He didn't answer her. Rin opened her mouth to ask again, when she caught sight of Sesshomaru.

"My lord! Look who came to visit!" She bounded forward and pulled Inuyasha with her. She'd forgotten that she was dragging a sick person and should be gentle with him. Once she realized she stopped her pulling.

Sesshomaru looked pleased at Inuyasha, but only in his hard to see way, and then turned her gaze to her. "Inuyasha is staying, not visiting, and he is here now to look after you instead of Jaken."

"Master Inuyasha will be with Rin instead of Master Jaken?"

Sesshomaru didn't look pleased anymore. "You are Miss Rin to him now."

Rin frowned. She didn't really understand. Didn't Master Inuyasha look after Miss Kagome and the rest of their friends? But she didn't mind. Anything was better than Master Jaken.

She bowed happily. "I am going to show him Rin's room now, my lord." She turned before Sesshomaru acknowledged her departure and had to drag Inuyasha too until he realized they could leave.

Rin tried to talk to him while she led him by the hand to where she slept and had some things of her own, but he didn't talk.

"Master Inuyasha, you are very sick, aren't you?"

He didn't respond, unless opening and closing the door to her room behind them was a response.

"Well, Rin is very tired now. Master Inuyasha can sleep too." She went over to her futon and started arranging blankets so they could share the bed, but Inuyasha leaned against the wall and put his face in his hands.

"Master Inuyasha?" Rin looked up. He still didn't say anything. Maybe he was tired from long travel, and walked so far and fast that he got sick, and now he was very far from his friends. Maybe Master Inuyasha was visiting because he was tired and sick and now very lonely too. Rin moved over and sat against the wall with him. She patted his knee, hoping that Master Inuyasha wasn't too terribly sad. With that she sat still next to him and proceeded to stay calm and still as long as her caring, child's heart could stand.

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I know. I deserve to be shot. Not because of evilness in this chapter, but from not updating. Just know I'm trying, okay readers? Ich liebe dich! R&R

But first, one question...

Miss Elisabeth... why do you want Inuyasha to commit suicide so badly? I know I'm writing him out as if he should, and wants to, but Inuyasha would never really _want_ to die... not while there is still hope that Kagome could be alive.... possibly. And not now that he has a cute lil Kagome substitute to take care of. But anyway, I'm glad that you keep mentioning it. It reminds me to tone down my dramatic voice. But believe me. If Inuyasha was really going to kill himself, I would let you all know. I'm trying to keep the possibility for a happy ending in sight. I'm not sure how it'll happen, but I had an idea. Kouga ruined it, though.

Oh, and to the other reviewer that mentioned this, No Inuyasha's not crying when he put his hands in his face. He was trying not to. If he really was crying, Rin would notice right away. But once again, good catch. It makes me happy when you guys are all thinking beyond the words. I was writing in Rin's POV and I didn't want her to know all the sick twisted things that Inu has to put up with. She's too cute.

One last thing. I made someone cry. Yes, I made someone cry in this chapter. And I'm going to hell, because I burst into my living room, jumped up and down, and proclaimed to my sister with cackling laughter that I had done so. I still don't think she understands what happened.


	6. Dream or Nightmare?

Plz, don't shoot! Explanations at the bottom. ~luv, ur author

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Inuyasha once again could not believe he was here. For the second time since he'd been a leader of a band of humans, and then violently reduced to nothing, he really truly questioned if he was alive. He supposed he could be dreaming. He could easily still be in his dark hole, sleeping in between batterings from his brother.

He could have dreamed Sesshomaru coming down that last time. He could have dreamed that Sesshomaru finally granted him the smallest of wishes and unchained him. But it was definitely dream that Sesshomaru let him go. Sesshomaru had realeased him. He'd let him climb the stairs and walk through the door. Inuyasha would never believe it, but if it was just a dream, Inuyasha never wanted to wake up.

Sesshomaru had allowed him to wash himself clean. Sesshomaru had given him clothing to wear. Sesshomaru had arranged for him to be fed. Inuyasha was either dreaming, or very dead.

After Sesshomaru had fixed him up, he'd presented Inuyasha with a task. He was to find Rin, collect her and bring her back to Sesshomaru, and act as her retainer until Sesshomaru deemed fit. If Inuyasha followed all of Sesshomaru's specifications, and if Rin was kept in line and pacified, then Inuyasha would never have to be sent to "his hole", but should anything fall short of Sesshomaru's orders, Inuyasha would never see the light of day again. It seemed part nightmare at the same time it seemed part dream.

And it could still turn nightmare. Sesshomaru never said whether or not he would stop _touching_ him. It didn't matter much at the moment though. Rin was her own version of hell.

Each time she called him "Master Inuyasha" he felt his stomach lurch. Retainers weren't called "master". Even Inuyasha knew that. But even the way she said his name made him feel lower than dirt. This perfect, beautiful child, she barely knew him and she already cared about him. It was in her bright eyes, in her tiny hands. This frail human child cared for him, and he didn't deserve it. How was he supposed to protect this girl if he couldn't even save himself? Her caring was sure to be the end of him. Her "Master" slips and her child's sense for breaking rules were sure to send him back to his hell. Dream or not, he didn't want to do anything to send him back there.

He was mulling over all the things he would do if it would save him from being sent back, praying really, when Rin set her warm hand on his knee and sat against the wall next to him. He didn't look at her. He couldn't bear it when he knew she was trying to search his face. He hunched further into himself to shield her from the wretch that she would find. What had he done to possibly deserve a kind look from warm brown eyes?

He asked himself this question several times. Eventually Rin's head slowly fell until she was leaning against him, sound asleep. At the touch, his head whipped round in a panic that was dispelled upon seeing the peaceful look on her sleeping face. Free from her searching eyes, Inuyasha rubbed his cheeks against his sleeves to remove evidence of what he'd been hiding. He glanced at her again immediately afterwards. She was still asleep and still oblivious. Good. If she knew what he went through, what he was still going through, her warm eyes and concerned touches would shake him apart.

Since Rin slept through the jostling Inuyasha had given her while wiping away his tears, he supposed she was asleep enough to handle being moved. He gently wormed his arm around her back, tensing when she snuggled into him in her sleep, and slowly scooped her up in his arms. She felt so small against him, like she would shatter in a violent break if he breathed to hard. He moved her to her bed as careful as if she was made of spun glass.

She looked just as peaceful in her bed as she had against his shoulder, though a frown touched her features when his arms pulled away. It didn't matter. Sleeping girls belonged in their beds. Really, Inuyasha should have put her in her bed earlier instead of letting her become so tired she nodded off next to him. If Sesshomaru walked in seeing Inuyasha taking such poor care of her, he'd-

"Inuyasha."

Inuyasha whipped his head around so fast he might've snapped his own neck. "S-sesshomaru?" His brother glared at him. Inuyasha had an internal panic attack. "ImeanYesmylord?"

"The girl is asleep and no longer requires you. You will…" Sesshomaru paused. The look on his face, that evil thinking look, gave Inuyasha chills. "You will return to my chambers and await me there."

"Await you?" _BUT I'VE BEEN GOOD I DID EVERYTHING YOU ASKED AS FAST AS I WAS ABLE I EVEN WASHED BEHIND MY EARS PLEASE OH GODS DON'T-_

Sesshomaru glared at him, silencing even his thoughts. "I don't repeat myself."

"I-I'll go. I swear." Inuyasha slipped past his brother timidly. With Sesshomaru's eyes on him, Inuyasha couldn't stay there, but his brother was in the goddamn way of the door. Well, he wasn't hit or slapped yet, so Inuyasha continued, treading as quickly as he could for Sesshomaru's-

Wait… Where the hell was Sesshomaru's room? Er… rooms? Chamber? _Now is so not the time to freak out about what the hell it's CALLED!_

Inuyasha glanced behind him. Sesshomaru wasn't following or glaring or anywhere in sight. Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief. Good, now at least he had some time to sniff the place out. Inuyasha took a deep breath and let it out slowly. One thing at a time. Okay, first things, if he was going to end up living out the day, he had to calm down and find where Sesshomaru spent all his time. That would most likely be his… uh… chamber… That really didn't have a good ring to it.

As Inuyasha discreetly sniffed his way through Sesshomaru's… whatever the hell… he soon became aware that he was approaching the hallway with his… door. His door leading down to his hole with his hell. Inuyasha stopped. He couldn't go past that. He couldn't go near that door. But if he didn't…

_Just breathe. You've done worse. Just breathe and just walk._

Inuyasha shut his eyes tight and darted past that door faster than anything he'd ever remembered. And now he was there. He was standing in front of Sesshomaru's chamber, to await his brother's coming and most likely his judging. Would he pass? Did he do well enough to not end up back behind the door just down the hall? Inuyasha's hands shook as he slid the door open and slipped inside.

This was some kind of, entrance room that he was in right now. It didn't really seem to have a purpose other than to look big, menacing, and full of expensive things. There were a couple of doors, and since Sesshomaru didn't seem to be anywhere near, Inuyasha risked a peek. Through one must have been Sesshomaru's private bath. There was a deep basin in the floor and sand gardens throughout. Through another was some sort of room for papers and scrolls. There was a huge table in there, thick and dominating, with stacks of papers nearly covering its surface from view. The other was a bedroom. There was a futon in the middle of the floor, with a wall of heavy curtains on the far side from the door. Inuyasha felt like that had been enough snooping. He'd probably already fucked up enough to deserve being thrown back down into darkness. He didn't need to make it worse.

Inuyasha slid the door shut, but stopped. Well, if he was already doomed, he might as well just see what the hell was behind the curtain wall. He scooted past the tiny opening and pushed the door the rest of the way shut. Now that he was inside, Sesshomaru's bedroom really had a sense of lushness. The bed looked so completely inviting. Rin's had looked similar, only her's was too short to be comfortable.

No. He was not going to lie down, fall asleep, and wake up with raging demon lord glaring him down. Inuyasha distracted himself by turning to the curtains and giving the futon a wide berth as he walked over to them. Carefully he found an opening and lifted the curtain aside. It was a balcony. The sun was setting, making everything glow red. It was the first time Inuyasha had seen it since this whole thing started. He couldn't remember seeing anything so beautiful.

The door from the hallway opened and shut. Inuyasha jolted back away from the curtain in a panic. Was he supposed to be in here? What if he wasn't? Oh Sesshomaru was going to _murder_ him!

Sesshomaru must have paused to locate him, because Inuyasha felt like he'd been panicking for entire minutes by the time Sesshomaru opened the bedroom door. It was then that Inuyasha finally gained the ability to move. He bowed and started blathering out an apology as fast as he could think up the words. There seemed to have been a lag between his mouth and his brain because Sesshomaru silenced him after only a few stuttered starts.

"Good. Exactly where I wanted you." Sesshomaru had that evil look on his face again. Inuyasha broke out in chills like before. He couldn't think of anything to say, with Sesshomaru looking at him like that. Inuyasha took one step back, just trying to put some distance between him and that expression. Sesshomaru's face darkened. That had obviously been the wrong thing to do. Inuyasha quickly corrected it.

Inuyasha swallowed hard, panic building to terror. This was not going to be a good night.

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For the love of- That complete-! No wonder they called them half-breeds! The son of a bitch couldn't get anything one hundred percent right, could he? The brat handles Rin like a seasoned veteran, yet can't seem to master the correct actions of a retainer. Rin was the one calling him master, for fuck's sake! Not to mention the fact that Inuyasha had failed to utter the necessary number of sir's and my lords'. Was it because Sesshomaru was hoping that Inuyasha would succeed and now he was trying to sabotage it?

And now the brat had done something that Sesshomaru had actually wanted, and yet trying to anger him at the same time. Was Inuyasha trying to figure out just how far he could go and still get away with things?

Sesshomaru stopped himself, forced himself to take a calming breath before he acted. Yes, Inuyasha would need to be punished for this. But he didn't need to be sent down to his hole to start all over again. He'd done just well enough that all he really needed was a little adjustment. Good thing Sesshomaru's punishment and reward were just the same. Tonight would play out just the same as he had fantasized earlier in the day.

"You will remove your clothing now."

"Wh-what?" Inuyasha clutched at the front of his given haori, eyes wide with disbelief or fear. Really, if the brat didn't see this coming then he did have need to be afraid.

"When I give you an order you will say, 'Yes, Lord Sesshomaru,' and then you will do it."

Inuyasha's hands trembled faintly. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru couldn't help but smirk inwardly. Inuyasha cautiously removed his clothes and Sesshomaru began to think that maybe Inuyasha was starting to get it.

"Now you will remove mine."

Inuyasha's mouth opened in what had to be an outburst of shocked refusal, but he caught himself and his teeth clicked shut. Now if only he could finish saving it.

Inuyasha looked demurely down at the floor. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." It sent a wave of excitement down Sesshomaru's spine to hear his name said like that. He leered blatantly at Inuyasha's boyish frame as he timidly came over. Inuyasha would probably become a wiry, stocky man someday. Not at all like him, but who would expect a half-breed to be graceful in any sense of the word. And yet, there was a certain appeal to watching the boy's undefined muscles moving underneath his skin. And there was even greater appeal to watching Inuyasha's shaking hands move over his body while the brat tried to undress him.

Like his own clothes, Inuyasha just let Sesshomaru's drop to the floor. He'd been doing so well, and Sesshomaru was now sufficiently turned on enough, that Sesshomaru decided to overlook it; A lesson for another day. With the last of his armor and clothing removed, Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to hide. The brat was looking off in a corner. Sesshomaru couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he was definitely not thinking that he should now bend over and beg to be taken. To remedy this, Sesshomaru stepped forward. Inuyasha's head snapped towards him to stare at his feet and got an eyeful instead. The boy instantly went pale. Sesshomaru smirked openly as he snaked his hand to Inuyasha's chin and pulled the other in for a dominating kiss. Sesshomaru did it mostly to watch Inuyasha's eyes snap wide open and lock onto his. The half-breed's expression was delicious.

Inuyasha put his hands against Sesshomaru's chest in a last second bid to push him away and escape, but Sesshomaru changed his hand's position to firmly grasp at the back of Inuyasha's neck. He could push all he liked. Sesshomaru had him completely under his control and to remind the brat of it, he kissed him hard. Inuyasha's mouth was completely plundered, and Sesshomaru only let up once he started tasting the other's blood.

Sesshomaru pulled Inuyasha's mouth away from his with his grip on the brat's hair. In that instance he decided that enough was enough. He'd waited all day and it was time to end it. With the same motion as before, he threw Inuyasha to the bed. He landed on his back, dazed and terrified. Sesshomaru joined him on the bed in an instant, hooking one of Inuyasha's legs over his shoulder and pinning the other down to remove any chance of the other wriggling away.

Despite his urge to take the wretch now, Sesshomaru paused to savor the feel of Inuyasha trembling against him, to take in the expression on the other's face. The shaking was exciting; the wide eyed look of terror was not. Sesshomaru took the risk of Inuyasha's escape long enough to slap the look right off the brat's face. There. Dazed and breathless. That's the way the damned half-breed should look.

Before Inuyasha could sabotage anything else, Sesshomaru gripped his thigh again, angled him against the bedding and plunged himself deep into Inuyasha's entrance. The boy's scream must have reverberated throughout Sesshomaru's castle multiple times. It certainly reverberated down his spine enough times. While Inuyasha sucked in a gasping inhale, Sesshomaru pulled out and thrust in once more, setting up a rhythm. Inuyasha screamed with each thrust, though nothing could possibly match that first cry. Sesshomaru blocked out everything else as he rocked in and out of his brother's quivering body, just working towards the perfect release to the end of his day.

It finally came and Sesshomaru forced himself deep inside Inuyasha for that last few seconds. He let himself stay there, panting with the exertion of the act. Sesshomaru pulled himself out of his brother, thinking of how convenient it was that now he could simply lie down and fall asleep in the after affects of such a release. Inuyasha lay limply; legs sprawled where Sesshomaru placed them. He was mostly quiet now, or at least he wasn't screaming at the moment. Sesshomaru smirked at his brother's prone form. Sesshomaru was about to lay himself down as well when he realized that all his seed he'd just unloaded into Inuyasha's ass was also on him. It was gushing out of his brother as well. Worse, it was going to get all over his bed.

Quick as a bolt, Sesshomaru scooped Inuyasha up. The boy yelped and just managed to wrap his arms around Sesshomaru's neck in time to save him from crashing out of his grip and to the floor. Great! So no rolling over and sleeping. Now Sesshomaru would have to wash the sex off of them first. So with Inuyasha moaning in either pain, or the unwillingness to be jostled, Sesshomaru marched them both over to his personal bath to wash all his night's accomplishments away.

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BTW, that sex scene up there, I'm damned proud of that. Over 900 words from Sesshomaru's de-clothing command to whizzing them both off to get clean. That's about a third of the whole chapter. It feels like my first real sex scene in the whole story. It was going to carry over into the bath, but I felt like saving that for next chapter since I really want to upload this now.

As always, Read & Review!


	7. Glimmers of the End

It's strange how Perspective can change you.

In Perspective, when Inuyasha had been the leader of a truly band of humans, to fall as low as he had now was to face a fate worse than death. He'd had honor then, Honor and Pride, and he'd had a fearsome band to help him uphold it.

Then he'd had to face the possibility of a world where he'd let Kagome die. In Perspective it was better to disgrace himself before his hated brother than to live in such a world. In Perspective, what was a little pride in return for his beloved's life?

Sesshomaru had taken more than a little pride. Inuyasha had been beaten, starved, forgotten. He'd been raped over and over. In Perspective, it was better to give up. Sesshomaru hurt him worse when he struggled. In Perspective, what was a little begging in return for food, clothing, basic care?

Now, Inuyasha had no honor. He had nothing and he was nothing. He was sure that 'In Perspective' truly meant, 'In Hell.'

Rin, that little ray of painful sunshine was frolicking amidst a field of flowers, making chains and wreaths out of weeds. All the while, Inuyasha continued to think to himself, _'In perspective, it could be so much worse. In everything I traded, I got what I wanted. I got Kagome's life, and I got out of that hole. I have Rin, and clothing and food and water…'_

Though, also 'In Perspective,' it would be better to just be dead.

The soft breeze ruffled the girls' hair and flower crown. The child laughed and played with the butterflies that were attracted to the flowers all around her. Sunlight caught in her raven hair seemed to dance as joyously as she did. The little child had no knowledge of Perspective. She didn't know that her Lord was a monster, and what he did to her beloved caretaker every night.

She didn't know that her Lord Sesshomaru raped her Inuyasha brutally, and was starting to force him to like it.

Truly, in Perspective, it would be better to be dead.

But as long as Rin could laugh, as long as Inuyasha had that simple sound to hear, he couldn't abandon her to die. He couldn't leave her here, not in this castle of hell. He didn't know what Sesshomaru had done to her to make Rin love him so, but it wasn't natural. The Demon Lord hardly said more than 3 words to the brat a day, and usually those words were 'Rin, be quiet.'

Yet the little girl loved him. Hearing the child prattle on about how honorable and strong her Lord Sesshomaru was had almost hurt worse than the nightly raping. In emotional defense, Inuyasha had soon been able to split the two Sesshomaru's apart. There was Rin's Lord, and there was Inuyasha's Master.

Inuyasha's thoughts must have shown on his face, for the little girl walked up, a flower wreath just for her loved retainer.

"I made one for you too, Inu-kun!" She held it out tentatively.

"Don't call me that, Rin." Her Inuyasha sighed. She smiled anyway.

"Well, it's for you." She put it on his head. Inuyasha didn't protest, not that she'd ever known him to in the past months that he'd been her retainer and caretaker. Rin smiled brightly, a flower crown of yellow and gold nestled around her white-haired protector.

"It looks good on you, Inu-kun!"

"Rin, don't call-"

" Will you wear it the rest of the day?" She asked quickly, interrupting him. Inuyasha never should have looked into her eyes. They were pleading pools of brown and innocence. He could never refuse anything she asked if he mistakenly looked to her eyes.

"Keh. Sure." He huffed. The girl squealed, and ran off; back to the flowers she loved to play in.

Women and flowers; Inuyasha would never understand the attraction. Once you'd plucked them, they started dying.

Inuyasha watched the little girl play. If only Rin hadn't been here. Then Inuyasha could escape. He would wait until Sesshomaru left on one of his travelling weeks. Then Inuyasha would run, run as far and as fast as he could, and kill himself so violently, there wouldn't be enough left for Sesshomaru's Tenseiga to restore. Or rather, during such times that Inuyasha was in a vastly better and less self-loathing mood, he would imagine running to the ocean and throwing his life to the waves. The sea would hide his corpse and protect him from Sesshomaru's life-saving sword.

Inuyasha stretched back against the tree he was sitting beneath. It would be so peaceful; the soft hushing of the waves; the light above fading slowly while he sank. He would just sink down and down and maybe he'd even go to sleep before the end. He'd just close his eyes and let out all the breath in his lungs and relax into his final slumber.

But not while Rin lived, at least not with this monster.

Rin was a prisoner here as well. She didn't see it now, but when she grew up? What would happen when he couldn't hide the telltale marks of his abuse by her precious Lord's hands from her any longer? Rin was bright. She was exceptionally bright. She already cast worried looks at him constantly and tried to soothe him before she went to sleep. She knew already that he dreaded the setting of the sun and the coming of night. And Inuyasha knew she was aware that it had something to do with Sesshomaru.

It would only be a matter of a few more weeks, maybe a few months if he was lucky. Then Rin would know, and her happiness would be shattered. Her Lord would turn into a monster. She would never look at either of them the same way again and Inuyasha knew that he would be the one that Sesshomaru took it out on.

In mere weeks, he would be back in the hole, and Rin would be devastated.

While Inuyasha sat there, watching Rin play happily, a dark thought slowly came to him.

It would be better if they both were dead.

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Well, it's been years. I think I have a solution to this story. I really started hating it because it was so dark and I couldn't think of a way to salvage it. I could not for the life of me think up a happy ending. I was going to have the gang come in and rescue Inuyasha, but Kouga ruined it. I was going to have Inuyasha take the girl and run, but anywhere they could go, Sesshomaru would hunt them down. I even thought about somehow Inuyasha getting help from Naraku! But, I think I have a way to end this now. Here is what I had written of chapter 7 back from all those years ago.

Next chapter, this story is going to be finished. I'll see you all on the other side.


	8. A Final Storm

For the first time in his new existence, Inuyasha had gotten lucky. He walked down the hall towards Rin's room, feeling equal parts amazed and numbed by the knowledge. Sesshomaru had left the castle. He would be gone for 2 weeks. Sesshomaru had taken Jaken along with him. It was only Inuyasha and Rin in the expensive, servant-less castle. Inuyasha opened the door to Rin's room, to awaken the girl, forcing himself to stop thinking about what he was doing and simply do it.

Inuyasha knelt by the girls bed. It would be the last time. He took in her peaceful expression. Her dark, child's lashes lay against her rosy cheeks as if nothing in the world could harm her. She slept so soundly, so trusting. He brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"Rin. It's time to wake up." He woke her gently. The little girl's eyes fluttered and soon she turned warm brown eyes up to look at him. She smiled sleepily.

"Okay, Inu-kun. Can we go to the meadow today?"

Inuyasha was going to say no, but he'd already looked into her eyes. He couldn't say no to her. He couldn't watch those warm brown orbs dim even a little bit. "Sure. But we'll go early. We're going on a trip today."

"A trip?" The girl sat up, excited for something so novel. She hadn't ever gone on a trip with Inuyasha before. "Where are we going?"

"To breakfast and then to the meadow, to start." Inuyasha answered. He didn't want to go any further in depth. He would leave it at that for now. Inuyasha got up from his kneeling position by Rin's futon and avoided her gaze. He knew she was searching him, looking into his eyes and trying to ferret out what was bothering him. She was so close to finding her answer. This trip would be his only opportunity to spare her and save himself.

Inuyasha left the room and waited for Rin to follow. He already had a morning meal ready for her. He'd also prepared a few things for their trip. They weren't taking much, just enough food to sustain Rin while they made it there and a few blankets to keep her warm and comfortable at night. Inuyasha didn't care much for his own comfort anymore. All he did care about was keeping Rin happy. He tried to savor, to cherish, the last day they would spend here at the castle. Without Sesshomaru around, it was a happy place. Rin made it that way with her childish antics and girlish giggling. She could turn a prison into a home, just with a smile.

Before he knew it, breakfast was over, Rin was dressed and they were in her favorite meadow, picking a fresh bouquet of blossoms for the delighted child. Rin loved this meadow. Inuyasha didn't want them to have to leave, but they did. "Rin. We need to go soon."

"Aw, just a little while longer, Inu-kun? And you never told me where we are going."

Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to tell the truth, or to disappoint Rin. "Only a little while longer," He answered, ignoring the second part to her protest.

"But where are we going, Inu-kun?" Rin asked, looking up into his eyes. Her own were begging him to tell her the secret. Inuyasha looked away. How could he explain? How could he tell her the new low he'd come to?

"Somewhere safe. Where I can protect you." He answered finally.

"Oh, while Lord Sesshomaru is away?" She asked, still pressing him for the full story.

Inuyasha nodded. _Especially_ while Sesshomaru was away. The little girl came over to him and stood beside him, all the while gazing up into his face, trying to read the thoughts he was keeping from her.

"Is that why you have Tetsaiga again?" Rin asked looking to the sword that was once again at Inuyasha's waist.

"Are you ready to go?" Inuyasha asked her, looking anywhere but at Rin and ignoring her question. He'd found the sword last night, tucked away in Sesshomaru's study. Sesshomaru hadn't thought very highly of Inuyasha's spirit, keeping it so close at hand even he couldn't use the sword either. It burned Sesshomaru's hand like it was made of embers. Inuyasha supposed Sesshomaru kept it in the study so he could look on it and reminisce about how far Inuyasha had fallen. Sesshomaru had told him he was glad Inuyasha had broken, just before the bastard left on this trip, after all. Well, Inuyasha wasn't broken; not so broken that he couldn't take Rin and escape.

"Mm-hmm." The girl nodded. "Rin is ready." She slipped her hand into his, her tiny, warm little hand, and offered him a broad smile. This time Inuyasha looked. He had his first real pang of doubt. How could he do this? Rin _trusted_ him. She trusted him with her life.

He gripped her hand in his and led the girl on towards their mutual destruction. She had misplaced that trust. He was nothing. He was the lowest of the low, and now he was going to find himself a hole so deep not even Sesshomaru and his damned Tenseiga could pull him out again. Inuyasha was bringing Tetsaiga with him, so he couldn't claw his way out at the last second. He would remain a Half-breed, and in control, and Inuyasha was taking Rin with him.

He could only protect her from finding out about her precious Lord one way.

Inuyasha traveled day and night. He carried Rin when she got tired and fed her when she was hungry. He himself had grown used to pushing himself past his body's endurance. Nights of brutal rape followed by days of chasing Rin around had made him numb to his own pain. Living alone growing up, fighting for his life from a young age, just didn't compare to being actually caught and punished and beaten every evening. It was like the sun couldn't set anymore unless Sesshomaru was forcing himself onto Inuyasha's disgusting, worthless body. Inuyasha felt like he was walking in a dream now; no Sesshomaru to torment him. The only one around was Rin, chirping brightly and smiling warmly and loving him despite how vile he truly was inside.

The girl knew nothing of what her precious Lord did to her beloved Inu-kun, and she never would.

The sun was about to set on the third day of their trip when Inuyasha and Rin finally reached the ocean. The sunset was gorgeous. Large, luminescent clouds glowed vivid shades of orange, yellow, red, pink, and purple. The ocean reflected the brilliant colors like a wondrous mirror. It was beautiful. The child riding on his back gasped in awe. She clutched the shoulders of his clothing and leaned forward, her cheek against his as he glanced back at her. The sunset reflected in her eyes, more beautiful than any ocean could portray.

"Inu-kun, look." She whispered. "It's so pretty."

Inuyasha nodded, looking back to the horizon. "It is," He answered in quiet agreement. It was the most beautiful sunset he'd ever seen since those first rays he'd glimpsed from behind Sesshomaru's balcony curtain so many weeks ago. Those had been his first glimpses of the sun after his descent into hell. These would be his last.

Inuyasha set Rin down on the ground and abandoned their belongings on the beach, except for Tetsaiga, which he kept firmly tied to his waist. The girl had run forward to play in the waves. She shrieked when the waves advanced and giggled when they retreated, failing to catch her toes in their chilly foam. Inuyasha took a seat in the sand and watched the girl play for the last time. He took in his last sunset and the last giggles of a girl at play. He tried to savor the moments but just like at Sesshomaru's castle, time slipped through his fingers faster the harder he tried to hold on. All too soon the sun had set. The lingering clouds darkened into grey purples. The waves turned an inky black. There were no stars to see the pair off. Nature was through with giving Inuyasha any comforts.

Inuyasha got to his feet and went to Rin, still playing in the waves. "Rin. It's time to go."

"This isn't where we were going, Inu-kun?" Rin asked, her big eyes wide with surprise.

Inuyasha shook his head and reached for the girl. She game to him and allowed him to pick her up by the waist. Inuyasha held her weight with his arms and hugged her close to him. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was that he was doing this. He didn't want to, but there was no other way. If he just took her and ran, what was to stop Sesshomaru from finding them again? What was to stop Sesshomaru from throwing him back down into the foodless, lightless dungeon to rot in his own filth? And she would only find out what Sesshomaru did to him. She would find out what he truly was inside, and she would hate him. She would never call him Inu-kun again. She would call him worthless, half-breed, filth… anything but Inu-kun because she wouldn't love him anymore. Not if she knew the truth.

"Where are we going then?" The girl asked him, snuggling in to lean her head on his shoulder.

"Do you remember the sunset?" The girl nodded against his neck. "Did you see where the sky met the water and it looked like the two were the same thing?" She thought for a second and nodded again. "That's where we're going." Inuyasha answered, looking out to the dark water and the dimly outlined horizon.

He walked forward. The waves instantly devoured his bare feet. They retreated but he advanced. He was up to his knees quickly and the lapping waves threatened his footing. Inuyasha began to have second thoughts. How was he going to get them into the middle of the ocean like this? He continued, doggedly determined to kill the both of them and make sure their bodies were never found. It was the only way to permanently escape Sesshomaru.

"Are we going to walk there?" Rin didn't like the sound of it, and Inuyasha halted at the sound of alarm in her voice.

"I… I don't-"

"Rin thinks we would get farther if you got a boat, Inu-kun." She interrupted him, concerned about how strangely Inuyasha was acting. Walking to the place where the sky and the ocean met? That was just… just stupid. It sounded like something Jaken would suggest, if Jaken ever suggested they should go to such a place. "Besides, Inu-kun, the water is cold. Rin doesn't want to have to swim."

"Okay, Rin." Inuyasha said quietly. "We'll get a boat." He turned around and walked them out of the waves. Inuyasha tried not to think. It broke his heart thinking about it. He just wanted to get the ordeal over and done and maybe, just maybe, Rin could forgive him for what he was about to do. But first he would get a boat, something small, and then he would take them out to the middle of the sea. There, he would listen to no more doubts. He would drown the both of them, and their bodies would never be recovered.

He let Rin stand on her own feet, setting her down where he'd dropped their things. She set to work picking them all up and handing them to Inuyasha. Inuyasha gathered the majority of it first.

"Inu-kun, there's not much food left." Rin pointed out, looking up to Inuyasha with questioning eyes.

"I know, Rin. We won't need it where we are going." Inuyasha answered. The girl stayed silent after that. She found his hand and walked with him down the coastline. Eventually she got tired and they had to stop for the girl to climb onto Inuyasha's back. He carried her and their things until they neared a coastal village. He stopped, setting Rin down on top of one of the blankets, so he could steal a boat for them. He took the very first one he found and quietly untied it from its moorings. The poor fisherman whose livelihood Inuyasha was stealing would never know what happened to the boat.

The boat was a light weight, old little thing, with a triangular sail. Inuyasha tried to collect Rin and put her inside the boat without waking the girl, but she woke up regardless. He'd really hoped she'd just sleep through the whole thing. He didn't want to see her eyes go dark. Inuyasha hesitated.

Should he really do this? What if he just ran away with her? Maybe, maybe he could find Kagome and the gang again. He had Tetsaiga now. But he couldn't do that. Sesshomaru would be coming to find them, no matter where Inuyasha went. Inuyasha couldn't fight him off. Sesshomaru was just too powerful. He would kill Kagome, and Sango, and Miroku and Shippo. He would kill everyone and then he would drag Inuyasha and Rin back to the castle. Inuyasha would never see the light of day again. He would never see Rin again, and she would figure out what a horrible, worthless, wretch he was.

No, the only escape was in death, a death where Sesshomaru couldn't bring them back to life. Then Inuyasha could be free and happy with Rin, forever. He pushed the boat back into the waves and hopped in, rowing away from shore until the sail took hold of the wind. Not a single star shone through the clouds in the sky. The farther away from land, the harsher the waves and the wind became, and the more certain Inuyasha became that they would both die out here no matter how he tried to fight it.

"Rin thinks there's a storm coming, Inu-kun." Rin looked back from her position at the front of the boat. She had been looking ahead to the last vestiges of light in the night sky. It was faded into black now.

Inuyasha let go of the steering mechanism of the boat. The waves and wind were carrying the vessel rapidly to their end. Rin came over to him and he met her half way, clutching the child in a fierce hug. Quickly the wind started to become a constant, hissing rush. The waves crashed loudly against each other and the sides of their boat. Inuyasha clutched the frightened child grasping onto him.

"I'm sorry, Rin." Inuyasha confessed to the child in his arms. He hugged her tightly and buried his face in her hair. "I'm so sorry, Rin." Tetsaiga rattled at his hip as he felt his own mortality creep over him. This was it. They were going to be blown into this storm, and they were going to die. His heart lodged itself into his throat at the thought of Rin dying, lying dead and pale like his Kagome had once been.

"Inuyasha, I'm scared!" Rin answered him as a wave hit the boat broadside. A rush of water flooded into the boat, but didn't over turn it or sink it. Inuyasha was kneeling in ankle deep water.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't selfishly drag Rin with him. He should have found somewhere for the girl to grow up, to live happily where Sesshomaru couldn't get her. He could have taken her through the well. He could have escaped through the well. He shouldn't have done this. Like the storm that had overtaken them, Inuyasha was overcome by sudden regret.

"I'm sorry, Rin." He held the girl tighter, to shield her from the cold spray of the ocean and the hard droplets of water that had started to fall in stinging pricks of cold.

"But Inu-kun will save us, won't you?" The girl asked him. Her voice was so quiet compared to the growing rage of the storm. Inuyasha leaned away from her hair and looked down to the child, looking up at him with trusting eyes. Even still, Rin trusted him. She trusted him with her life. Perhaps it was having Tetsaiga at his hip, but Inuyasha was filled with a panicked resolve to not let Rin die. Not tonight. She would die old and warm in her bed.

Inuyasha nodded to the girl. "Rin, get the water out of the boat, as fast as you can." He was going to try to steer them out of this, if it was possible. Inuyasha didn't know a great deal about boats, but he knew enough to try. Rin nodded, comforted by Inuyasha's sudden change in attitude and resolve. He sounded almost confident.

Inuyasha moved to the tiller and tried to force the boat to turn. They needed to move at the waves and break over them, not be hit sidelong. Too many more hits like that and they would be swamped and sunk. He fought the reluctant rudder and the boat slowly turned. The waves jerked the bow side to side and the tiller shuddered in Inuyasha's grip. He managed to get the boat turned. The bow of the boat lifted up higher and higher above the stern before the wind in the sails gave the little fishing ship enough speed to cut through the water. The hull sliced through the crest of the wave and the boat jumped over the water like it had hit a ramp. They hit the water hard. Rin shrieked and held onto the mast.

Each wave grew in height, until climbing them felt like they were about to fall backwards, front over end. Then they would crest the wave and fall, bow first into the trough of the next. Rin scooped water out of the bed of the little dinghy as quickly as she could when she wasn't holding onto the mast for dear life. The rain from the storm driving them forward filled the boat as fast as she could empty it. The waves crashing around them, the ones they sliced through and climbed and ramped off of, they added water to the gradually sinking boat. The girl couldn't keep up. Inuyasha could see that he'd been right all along. He would end up killing them, no matter how he fought to save them now.

Rin was seeing the futility of their situation as well. She hugged the mast as they fell from the crest of the current wave. She couldn't keep up with the water filling the bottom of their boat. She cried, frightened and feeling at fault. They were going to die because she couldn't keep up. Inuyasha recognized they had minutes left. He let go of the tiller and went to Rin. He hugged the crying girl and petted her hair. He was trying to tell her he was sorry, that it wasn't her fault. It was his fault because he was terrible and horrible and worthless, but he couldn't shout over the rushing waves that now batted their directionless boat around.

They drifted from a path hitting the large waves directly to start angling toward the side. The sail snapped and sputtered. It wasn't catching the full force of the wind. They slowed down. A coming wave behind them started to catch up. The boat started to rise from a diagonal behind and to the side. This was it. They were going to be turned end over end and crushed down into the water by the crashing wave.

The wave hit the water just behind them. The rear of the boat lurched forward suddenly. Their boat was vertical for the longest second of Inuyasha's life. Then they hit the water. He held tight to the girl as they were thrown and tossed and pulled under. Their boat splintered and was broken to pieces. Inuyasha protected the girl from being hit by these pieces in the chaotic minutes that followed after being thrown from the boat. Then the wave had passed and they could rise to the surface. The girl choked on water and coughed harshly when they surfaced. A large part of the boat had survived the first wave as wreckage. Inuyasha tried to swim them over to it but he wasn't great at towing someone and swimming at the same time. The second wave crashed over them before he could reach the last of the floating structure.

Wave after wave came and they two of them were not drowned. As long as Inuyasha had the strength to keep them together, and keep bringing them back to the surface, he was going to drag out their deaths. It was tragic, really, that they couldn't just be finally overwhelmed and end the terror. He could stop fighting and let that happen but his blood burned hot. Tetsaiga shook and burned at his hip. Rin clutched at him as the frightened, dying child she was. He couldn't stop fighting. He fought them to the surface after each wave, till he'd lost track. He fought till Rin stopped clutching to him so tightly and he had to hold on even tighter to make up the difference. He fought till he didn't feel he could kick his legs or move an arm anymore and he fought on longer than that. Inuyasha fought until the very end, when his mind finally started to haze and his lungs were half drowned and his vision began blurring.

Inuyasha let go and knew no more.

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Cold. That was the first thing. It was cold, and wet.

There was a sound. Waves? Water lapped at the lower end of legs and finger tips.

There was wet sand below legs, below hands. Solid and firm. The waves carried new bits of sand and ate at the sand below his legs, working to bury his limbs.

Inuyasha opened his eyes.

Was he finally dead? Was this what dead was like? Inuyasha blinked up at the sky as the waves lapped at him. It was cloudy and dark, except for one small patch. A handful of stars glittered down at him. Inuyasha breathed in and breathed out, coughing a little at the end. He felt half drowned.

Then he remembered Rin. She was surely fully drowned. In a panic, Inuyasha clawed his way to his hands and knees in the sand and sat up. Where was she? She'd been in his arms up until the very end. Was she dead too? Was he still alive? Where was she?

Inuyasha spotted a body on the beach just a stone's throw away. He scrambled to his feet and ran over in the blink of an eye. It was Rin, lying on her back and facing the stars. She was pale, limp, unmoving. Inuyasha was reliving hell. He picked Rin up quickly and gently and pulled her out of the cold, lapping waves and onto dryer sand. Her arms hung limp. Her head rolled on her neck.

This couldn't be happening. Inuyasha couldn't let another girl die because of him. He put his head to the girl's chest. Her heart beat weakly in a slow rhythm. She was alive but… She wasn't breathing.

"Nonononono! No! Don't do this to me, Rin! Don't die here!" Inuyasha begged. He'd saved them somehow, and it was too late. She was dying anyway. How did he fix it? How did he…? Just how? He lifted her up and hugged the girl to his chest. Her head fell against his shoulder.

Inuyasha sobbed suddenly. It would have surprised him, but he was preoccupied. Rin was dead. She was dead and her little heart hadn't gotten the message. He hugged her body tighter, crying miserable. He'd killed her. He'd killed the most precious thing in his life and he hadn't had the decency to die with her. "I'm sorry!" He sobbed. "I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean for you to die! I was supposed to die. I'm sorry!"

The girl resting her head on Inuyasha's neck coughed weakly. Water gurgled out of her mouth and onto Inuyasha's already damp shoulder. Inuyasha relaxed his grip on her, not daring to hope even though the emotion surged through him faster than his despair. The girl coughed again, louder and with more force. She spat up more water and inhaled loudly, gasping against her own half drowned lungs.

"Rin… is…" The girl coughed desperately and caught her breath again. "…okay. Rin is fine." She was suddenly hugged again, tightly but not so tightly she couldn't still breathe. She hugged her arms around Inuyasha too. He was crying. She rested her head against him, tired but wanting to comfort her upset Inu-kun.

"Inuyasha is okay too. We're okay. You saved us." She said quietly to him while he sobbed against her. The wind from the broken storm urged the waves closer to them, but failed to reach them over the sand.

Rin glanced the way of the ocean, the terrible water that had almost been their end. The frightening storm had dissipated. A sliver of clear sky was lightening. The sun was trying to rise. She turned back to her Inu-kun and rested against him again, relaxing into his strong arms. "We're safe now."

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Authors notes to be posted in a following Epilogue.


	9. Epilogue

So, an explanation of what happened might be in order.

* * *

First, for a view of the different parts of a little sail boat, I used this link here, along with my own knowledge being in a sail boat once and from all the sailing stories I've ever read. /206256_sailboat_

* * *

Second. Where are Inuyasha and Rin you might ask?

Well, they have landed on the southern tip of what we would now call South Korea. I know, friggin Korea, right? Only, in feudal era Japan, this area was under control of China. So, to Inuyasha and Rin, they've landed in China. It is a little over 100 miles from the southern most bit of mainland South Korea to Japan. Also, I didn't know this, but the "western lands" of Japan are like, the southern parts of it. The island is shaped like a 'j'. Go figure.

* * *

How did Inuyasha and Rin get there in a little fishing boat?

The ocean currents between Japan and 'the mainland' run east and north. They basically follow the J of the Japan islands. And the winds for their weather? They run north and west. So which direction is Inuyasha's boat being carried to by both wind and water? North! I had him follow the run of the weather currents more than the water currents to be honest. I didn't want him and Rin lost at sea for days. So they made the 100 mile journey from one sunset to the next sunrise. I feel that's reasonable.

There is a bit of inaccuracy. The water moving towards Japan is warm water. The ocean would be warm. But I only have experience with cold ocean water. So, their water was cold. It added to the atmosphere of the story. If I can have demons and magic swords, then I get to have cold ocean waters too, you know what I mean?

* * *

And what is going to happen to Inuyasha and Rin next?

Well, they are going to run. Sesshomaru is still alive. He's just 'away' for a while. He'll come back home and find them gone. He'll have 13 days to wait before then though, if he remains on schedule. And from there he'll have to track Inuyasha down. 13 days for the trail to get cold. He can probably find the place where Inuyasha and Rin set sail. He can interrogate and then kill the fishing village. He can then assume they escaped to the mainland. From there, he can go to the mainland and chase them down, but by the time he gets there, is he going to be in the same locale as Inuyasha and Rin? I don't think so. They didn't really follow a normal path, I don't believe.

If Inuyasha realizes that that is the most likely place for Sesshomaru to chase after them from, he's going to go as far away from China as possible. Which direction do I think he'll go first? North. He'll say hello to the Mongols and the Russians. Maybe he'll swing west and keep going, running ahead of Sesshomaru's threatening gaze.

Point is, as long as Inuyasha keeps moving away, he's free and in the clear. To be sure, Sesshomaru will probably hunt for a while, a long while, but how long until he assumes that Inuyasha and Rin died in the ocean. He knows they only took a fishing boat, and he might hear about the storm that happened around the time the two might have set sail. How long before he stops looking for halfbreeds and starts looking for corpses? And how long after that until he stops looking all together?

I give it a year, maybe 3, and Inuyasha can settle down and Rin can grow up and everyone is happy. Well, Inuyasha maybe… until Rin gets old and dies.

* * *

Wait, what about Naraku? And the Jewel Shards?

Well, Kagome and them are still alive, aren't they? Sheesh. I don't know what's going to happen to them. But as long as Sesshomaru lives, and Inuyasha hasn't heard about his death or anything, until then, Inuyasha isn't /ever/ going back to Japan.

* * *

Hey, Inuyasha is kinda OOC here at the end. I don't like that!

Well, you get shoved in a cellar, starved, beaten and raped for a few days and see how spunky you are. I'll be nice and not add the brain washing factor of being harshly punished for every wrong doing and praised for the new good behavior of taking care of Rin. I'll let you just like Rin because she's cute, not because by contrast against Sesshomaru she's the most beautiful, purest soul in the world.

* * *

But that's supposed to be Kagome!

Rin is Inuyasha's replacement Kagome. I thought I was totally making that clear with the "warm brown eyes" bits and Inuyasha's unwillingness "to see them dim even a little bit." Those aren't quite quotes, but I'm sure that last one is written in almost word for word at some point.

* * *

Anyway, that was my story. I was going to write Inuyasha's escapades with the Russians, but that was when I first started this story, and that was /years/ ago. I like how it ends from right here.

And for those who thought Inuyasha was OOC, he'll return back to character when he gets introduced to Vodka. Rin will learn Russian quick because she's young, and Inuyasha will learn the swear words in the first month. He might have an easier time of it in Russia, if they don't have demons like japan and china do. They might think him as a werewolf though and try to shoot him with silver bullets, but hey, he can run. Or wear a damn hat and gloves because it's cold and /Russia/.

I dunno, I just really think he'll enjoy vodka.

Well, those who've stuck with me till the end, thank you. Those who are just picking up the story now, tell your friends. This story only gets traffic when I post a new chapter, and this is the final one. Just a little bit of prologue on the end. So, now I cast it into the sea of the internet like the big blue diamond at the end of titanic, and may it someday wash up on the shores of internet Russia and learn to swear and chug vodka.

-The Inu-pup


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